''Gujeolpan'' refers to either an elaborate Korean dish consisting of nine different foods assorted on a

wooden Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin tha ...

plate Plate may refer to: Cooking * Plate (dishware), a broad, mainly flat vessel commonly used to serve food * Plates, tableware, dishes or dishware used for setting a table, serving food and dining * Plate, the content of such a plate (for example: ...

with nine divided sections in an

octagon In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, whi ...

shape or the plate itself. The name is composed of three

hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

words: ''gu'' (구, "nine" ), ''jeol'' (절, "section"), and ''pan'' (판, "plate") in

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

. Foods are separated by color and ingredients, and comprise various ''

namul Namul ( ko, 나물) refers to either a variety of edible grass or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (, "mountain namul"), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (, "spring namul"). On t ...

'' (seasoned

leaf vegetable Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad gre ...

s), meats, mushrooms, and seafood items. In the center of the tray is a stack of small '' jeon'' (Korean style

pancake A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a Starch, starch-based batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or fryi ...

s) made with

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...

, which are called ''miljeonbyeong'' (밀전병). In addition to its use as a food platter used to serve many dishes of food at once, ''gujeolpan'' is also considered a decorative item. It is said to be a well-being food that looks beautiful, tastes good, and is nutritionally balanced.

History and aesthetic appeal

The history of ''gujeolpan'' dates back as early as the 14th century, and has become closely associated with the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

royalty. The octagonal dish itself can be made of wood or plastic and is divided into eight side sections and one center section, to resemble a flower. It also can include elaborate carvings, gem encrustations and detailed drawings. Original royal ''gujeolpan'' dish platters can be observed in museums as featured artifacts in royal table setting reconstructions. ''Gujeolpan'' is considered to be one of the most beautiful and colorful centerpiece Korean dishes. The nine sections are carefully divided and arranged with an appropriate amount of assorted meats and vegetables to make it colorful and aesthetically appealing. It has even been said that author

Pearl S. Buck Pearl Sydenstricker Buck (June 26, 1892 – March 6, 1973) was an American writer and novelist. She is best known for ''The Good Earth'' a bestselling novel in the United States in 1931 and 1932 and won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, Pulitze ...

was so amazed by the beauty and colorful appearance of ''gujeolpan'' that she could not stop praising it, and as a result, refused to eat it as she did not want to "destroy such a beautiful thing by eating it."

Consumption

What was once available to

Korean nobility Korean monarchy existed in Korea until the end of the Japanese occupation and the defeat of Japan. After the independence and the installation of the Constitution that adopted republic system, the concept of nobility has been abolished, both formal ...

can now be enjoyed by anyone in many places in Korea that specialize in preparing ancient Korean cuisine (though in some establishments it can be quite expensive). It is also sometimes prepared for wedding banquets. Each of the outer sections has different varieties of meat and vegetables, such as carrots, mushrooms, beef, bean sprouts, leeks, radishes, etc. while the center section is usually reserved for'' miljeonbyeong'', which are small circular, paper-thin wheat flatcakes similar, though smaller and softer than

tortilla A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indigenous peoples of Me ...

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These are used to wrap the various meats and vegetables from each of the eight sections. ''Gujeolpan'' consumers pick and choose from the various eight sections, put the food on a sheet of ''miljeongbyeong'', wrap it and eat it whole.

Gallery

File:Korean cuisine-Gujeolpan-Platter of nine delicacies-01.jpg, A ''gujeolpan'' plate made with

mother of pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...

. File:Korean cuisine-Gujeolpan-Mareun anju-01.jpg, ''Gujeolpan'' containing ''

mareun anju ''Anju'' ( ) is a Korean term for food consumed with alcohol. It consists of a variety of foods, including both main dishes and side dishes. Consuming food with alcohol is a widespread practice in Korea, especially when the alcoholic beverage ...

'' (dried foods for drinking alcoholic beverages). File:Korean cuisine-Gujeolpan-Preparing-01.jpg, Preparation for ''gujeolpan'' File:Korean cuisine-Gujeolpan-03.jpg, A variant of ''gujeolpan''

References

External links

{{Commons category Korean words and phrases Korean royal court cuisine

History and aesthetic appeal

Consumption

Gallery

See also

References

External links