Korean Court and Temple Foods

Royal food, which also reflects
the rules of the universe

KOREAN FOOD (Court and Temple)

Korea, a country that boasts 5,000 years of history, was ruled by royal dynasties. During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1920), in particular, an elegant and colorful culinary culture sprouted from the court. Today royal cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty is prized as the exquisite embodiment of a style and philosophy unique to Korean cuisine that has been designated as an important intangible cultural heritage.

FOODS REFLECTING THE RULES OF THE UNIVERSE

Korean royal cuisine developed around the traditional philosophy of eumyang ohaeng - the yin and yang forces, and the five elements of the universe. The universe can be described as the balanced co-existence of a cold and dark energy, and a warm and bright energy along with a harmonized combination of tree, fire, earth, metal and water.

Cold kimchi is complemented by hot gum (soup); meat is balanced with vegetables; products from the mountains form a parallel with products from the sea; and foods are carefully selected to include the five cardinal colors (obangsaek), in which green represents trees, red represents fire, yellow represents earth, white represents metal, and black represents water.

HEALING FOODS

One of the philosophical grounds for cuisine is yaksikdongwon, meaning food and medicine are of the same root. This philosophy was the foundation of royal cuisine during the Joseon Dynasty. “Jewel in the Palace” (aka “Dae Jang Geum”) - globally celebrated Korean drama dealing with Korean royal cuisine - well portrays this aspect. The heroine Jang-geum immerses herself in creating food that enhances health, and finding ways to cure the ill through food. In one of the episodes, Jang-geum finds out the Chinese ambassador to Joseon has diabetes and prepares for him vegetable-based dishes that are good for diabetics.

Goldongban (traditional bibimbap of the royal court)

FOODS PRESENTED TO THE KING

During the Joseon Dynasty, specialties indigenous to different regions and the first harvests of the seasons were presented to the king as offerings. These offerings included rice from Yeoju and Icheon, gochujang from Sunchang, abalone from Wando, tangerines from Jejudo, honey from Inje, oysters from Seosan, dried persimmon from Sangju, and crab from Yeongdeok and Uljin. Breakfast and dinner prepared for the king was called surasang, which was a 12-cheop (dish) table consisting of 12 different dishes in addition to bap (rice), guk (soup), kimchi, jang (condiments), jjigae (stew), jeongeol (casserole cooked on the table), and jjim (a braised dish). Through the foods set on the table, the king was able to see whether his subjects were having a bumper year or a lean year.

FOOD MADE FOR BOTH CULINARY & AESTHETIC APPRECIATION

Deformed and damaged vegetables and fish could not be used for the king’s meal. Only the best of ingredients could be included in accordance with the belief that it helped the king stay clear and right-minded. The chefs of the court carefully selected ingredients that were aesthetically representative and included only the most palatable parts to ensure the best flavors and presentation. Royal cuisine avoided the use of overly salty, pungent, and strong-smelling ingredients and spices. Instead, it focused on boosting and highlighting the flavor unique to each ingredient.

TEMPLE FOODS: AN APPRECIATION FOR ALL LIVING THINGS

Korean temple food has been prepared and consume fro more than 1,700 years. To a Buddhist monk, eating is more than enjoying good taste and nutrition; it is also a process of seeking the truth. Today, temple food is gaining renewed attention for being as close to nature as possible, and for reminding people of the essence of life.

THE AVOIDANCE OF MEAT AND THE FIVE SPICES

Korean temple food is distinguished by the philosophy that all living things depend on each other for existence. Non-vegetarain ingredients such as meat, fish, chicken, and eggs are prohibited. Also banned are osinchae, which are five spicy and pungent vegetables - green onions, garlic, chives, wild chives, and heunggeo (Scilla scilloides) - the stimulating flavors considered to interfere with Buddhist practices.

A NATURE-FRIENDLY AND HEALTHY DIET

Temple foods are often known for what they lack: not only meat and osinchae but also artificial condiments. Fresh seasonal vegetables, grains, beans, and a variety of fermented foods like kimchi, sauces, and seasonings are the staples of temple foods, all of which are a great source of quality protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and medicinal properties. Used in place of osinchae are mild-tasting seasonings like mushroom powder, kelp powder, sanchae (Xanthoxylum piperitum) powder, perilla seed powder, and fresh bean powder.

THE SIMPLE YET RICH TASTE OF NATURE

Due to the Buddhist inclination to eat seasonal vegetables and grains as close to the natural form as possible, temple cuisine has relied on basic cooking techniques that are simple and not greasy such as seasoning, steaming, roasting, picking and wrapping. Only one or two condiments are used to enhance flavors. The resulting dishes are simple and light, bringing out the natural flavor of the ingredients. The simple-tasting and low-calorie cuisine made of 100% vegetarian ingredients has come to represent a nature-friendly and healthy diet. 

BARU BONGYANG

Baru gongyang (literally, "wooden bowl" + "offering") is the communal meal tradition of Buddhist monks originating from the asceticism of Sakhamuni Buddha 2,500 years ago. This ritual meal begins with an expression of appreciation to everyone involved in the making of the food. Then, rice, soup, side dishes, and water are placed in one of four baru bowls. Gongyang means eating, and is the assertion of determination to find the truth and practice it in life; thus, the term signifies that eating is also a part of the Buddhist discipline.

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SOURCE: e-book “Hansik” on the Visit Korea webpage.

Esther Park, First Female Medical Doctor in Korea

Kim Jeom-dong (Esther Park), 1879-1910, Paving the Way for Women

Today, it is natural to see a doctor when we are sick, like when we catch a cold. Until 100 years ago, however, when Western medicine was first introduced to Korea, Western doctors were considered scary people who wielded injection needles and knives. 

For women, the situation was even worse. Women patients could hardly let male doctors feel their pulse for diagnosis, and they would never show the ailing parts of their body due to a strict separation of the sexes fixed in Confucian orthodoxy. When women fell sick, they would simply perform shamanic exorcism several times, only to die. 

In those days, there was a medical doctor who was devoted to women patients. Her name was Kim Jeom-dong, the first female practitioner of Western medicine in Korea. 

Ewha Student Kim Jeom-dong Dreams of Becoming a Doctor 

Born in 1879 in Jeong-dong, Seoul, Kim Jeom-dong entered Ewha School, the first modern educational institution for Korean women, in November 1886. 

She was the youngest of four daughters in a poor family. But she became the fourth student at the school, thanks to her father who had been exposed to Western ideas earlier while working for American missionary Henry Gerhard Appenzeller. In school, she quickly mastered various subjects, including the Korean [English?] language, arithmetic, the Bible and Chinese classics. 

Kim was particularly good at English. Her outstanding language skills led to an encounter with Rosetta Sherwood Hall, an American doctor who came to Korea for medical service missions. Mary Fletcher Benton Scranton, then-principal of Ewha School, introduced Kim to Hall as an interpreter so Hall could better communicate with Korean people while engaging in medical activities. That was how Kim was first exposed to Western medicine. At first, she wasn’t interested in medical work very much and only carried out her duties faithfully as an interpreter. But her life completely changed after she witnessed Hall successfully performing an operation on a patient with a harelip, leaving no scars at all. 

At the time, harelip was known as an incurable disease. But the surgery changed the life of a girl who would otherwise live uncomfortably for her entire lifetime. Deeply impressed, Kim made up her mind to learn medicine and help people suffering from diseases. 

From Kim Jeom-dong to Esther Park 

Hall welcomed Kim’s decision. She helped her study medicine and also introduced a man to her. He was Park Yu-san, a Korean man who helped Hall’s husband with his missionary work and medical activities. The missionary couple arranged a marriage between Kim and Park, and they held Korea’s first Western-style wedding ceremony in a church in 1893. 

From then on, Kim began to call herself Esther Park, after her Christian name and her husband’s surname. The following year, Esther and her husband left for the U.S. to study, following Rosetta Sherwood Hall who was returning home after her husband died. Esther stood out in high school in the U.S. and became the youngest student to enter Baltimore Women’s Medical College.

Her husband, who recognized her talent and hoped that she would become a doctor, supported her while working at a farm in New York. Unfortunately, he did not survive to see his wife become a doctor, as he died of tuberculosis in the U.S., six months before Esther graduated from college. 

In Esther Park's time treatments of illnesses were often based on superstition rather than scientific fact.

Fighting God, Fighting Diseases 

Esther earned her M.D. in June 1900, becoming the first Korean woman to receive a degree in Western medicine. Remembering her husband’s last wish that she should become a doctor, she returned to Korea and began to work at Bogu Yeogwan, the forerunner of today’s Ewha Womans University Medical Center, Korea’s first hospital for women, located near Dongdaemun. The hospital was named by King Gojong. For the first ten months, she took care of some 3,000 patients. 

Female doctor Esther Park was the only hope for women patients who couldn’t get proper treatment, as they weren’t allowed to show their bodies to male doctors. She went everywhere in the country, as long as there were women patients waiting for her. She moved to Pyongyang in 1901 when Rosetta Sherwood Hall came back to Korea and established a hospital there. Esther traveled across Hwanghae and Pyongan Provinces to offer free medical services to women who couldn’t benefit from medical care due to their remoteness. In recognition of her service, King Gojong presented a silver medal to her. 

While she was enthusiastic about her medical volunteer work, one thing was missing in her life. She was so busy looking after patients that she didn’t take care of herself very well. She died of tuberculosis, just like her husband, in 1910 at the age of 33. 

Esther Park was like a ray of sunshine in those days when there wasn’t any female medical staff whatsoever. At the time, it was hard for women even to attend school. But Esther went to the U.S. to study and after returning home, she devoted her life to medical services and social work. It would be fair to say she is called the female Schweitzer of Korea. Her spirit and achievements were reevaluated by the later generations, and she was inscribed at the Korea Science and Technology Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Esther Park Award was established in 2008 by the alumnae committee of Ewha School of Medicine to commemorate Park’s achievements and award Ewha alumnae who carry on the legacy of Park as women doctors and scientists. 

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References:

• PowerPoint slides by Min Seong Jin, student at Korea University 

• Article by KBS World Radio - "Kim Jeom-dong, the First Female Medical Doctor in Korea"

• Article by Katelynjun@ehwain.net, Ehwa Voice, in her online article "First Korean Female Doctor and Scientist, Esther Park"