''Dosirak'' (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: ;

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, ...

: ), also known as ''gwakpap'' (

: ;

: ) refers to a packed meal, often for lunch. It usually consists of ''

bap BAP or bap may refer to: Food * Bap (bread), a type of bread roll * Bap (rice dish), a Korean food Music * BAP (Basque band), a hardcore punk group (formed 1984) * BAP (German band), a Colognian rock group (formed 1976) * B.A.P (South Korean ban ...

'' (, cooked rice) and several ''

banchan ''Banchan'' (, from Korean: ) or bansang are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. As the Korean language does not distinguish between singular and plural grammatically, the word is used for both one such dish o ...

'' (side dishes). The lunch boxes, also called ''dosirak'' or ''dosirak-tong'' (dosirak case), are typically plastic or thermo-steel containers with or without compartments or tiers. Dosirak is often home-made, but is also sold in train stations and convenience stores. Dosirak in its current iteration was introduced to Korea during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910–1945) by the Japanese who had called their variation of a packed meal as , itself from the Chinese term ''

biandang A is the Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch. Outside Japan, it is common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese, Korean, Singaporean cuisines and more, as ...

'' (, ), which means "convenient" or "convenience". During this period, Korean cuisine adopted foreign cuisines as well as Japanese food items such as

bento A is the Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch. Outside Japan, it is common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese, Korean, Singaporean cuisines and more, ...

or sushi rolled in sheets of seaweed, popularized in Korea under the name of

gimbap ''Gimbap'' (), also romanized as kimbap, is a Korean dish made from cooked rice and ingredients such as vegetables, fish, and meats that are rolled in '' gim''—dried sheets of seaweed—and served in bite-sized slices. * The origins of gim ...

Varieties

Home-made ''dosirak'' is often packed in tiered lunch boxes that can separate ''

'' (cooked rice) and ''

'' (side dishes). The ''

guk ''Guk'' (), also sometimes known as ''tang'' (), is a class of soup-like dishes in Korean cuisine. ''Guk'' and ''tang'' are commonly grouped together and regarded as the same type of dish, although ''tang'' can sometimes be less watery than ...

'' (soup) tier, if included, is usually kept warm by insulation. Plastic or thermo-steel containers are most common, but combinations of wood and lacquer, ceramics and bamboo, as well as other materials, are also used. ''Yennal-dosirak'' (; "old-time ''dosirak''") consists of ''

'' (rice), stir-fried

kimchi ''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including '' gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), ...

, egg-washed and pan-fried sausages, fried eggs, and shredded '' gim'' (seaweed), typically packed in a rectangular lunchbox made of

tinplate Tinplate consists of sheets of steel coated with a thin layer of tin to impede rusting. Before the advent of cheap milled steel, the backing metal was wrought iron. While once more widely used, the primary use of tinplate now is the manufacture ...

German silver Nickel silver, Maillechort, German silver, Argentan, new silver, nickel brass, albata, alpacca, is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver does not contain the eleme ...

. It is shaken with the lid on, thereby mixing the ingredients prior to eating. ''Gimbap-dosirak'' (; "packed

"), made with sliced

(seaweed rolls), is often packed for picnics.

Gallery

Patinting by Gim Hongdo(1745 - 1816, Gun Hyun-do).jpg,

Seonbi Seonbi or sŏnbi were scholars during the Goryeo and Joseon periods of Korea who served the public without a government position, choosing to pass up positions of wealth and power to lead lives of study and integrity. Those who chose to serve the ...

's Lunch Pile-Type_Dosirak_of_the_Joseon_Dynasty.jpg, Pile Type Dosirak of the

Joseon Dynasty 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 r ...

Dosirak(home-packed meal).jpg, Home-made ''dosirak'' Yennal-dosirak.jpg, ''Yennal-dosirak'' (old-time dosirak) Dosirak 2.jpg, ''

Gimbap ''Gimbap'' (), also romanized as kimbap, is a Korean dish made from cooked rice and ingredients such as vegetables, fish, and meats that are rolled in '' gim''—dried sheets of seaweed—and served in bite-sized slices. * The origins of gim ...

-dosirak'' Dosirak 3.jpg, ''Dosirak'' sold in convenience stores Dosirak 4.jpg, Simple ''dosirak'' in a plastic container Thermal dosirak case.jpg, Thermal ''dosirak'' case Izo Catering 2.jpg, Catering company storefront, Koreatown, Los Angeles

References

{{portalbar, Asia, Food Academic meals Food combinations Food storage containers Korean cuisine Serving and dining

Varieties

Gallery

See also

References