Know Your Dishes

1. 밥 (bab)

You might recognise this word to mean 'food' in general. That is because this is one dish that is never left out in Korean cuisine. Literally meaning 'cooked rice' or 'food', you will find it used in famous dishes like 비빔밥 (bi-bim-bap) and 볶음밥 (bok-keum-bap).

2. 국 (guk) / 탕 (tang)

국 or 탕 means 'soup'. Foods with these words in their name will have a lot of broth and less meat/vegetables. The rich broth is meant to be the main of the dish, and other ingredients should complement but not overpower the soup.

Types of 국 / 탕

• 미역국
• 해물탕

3. 찌개 (Jji-gae)

Imagine a 국 or 탕, but with less broth and more meat and veggie ingredients. You've got yourself a 찌개! With 찌개, you will find a thicker broth that is richer in flavour and more solid ingredients that you can mix in with your 밥.

Types of 찌개

• 김치찌개
• 순두부찌개
• 부대찌개

4. 전골 (Jeon-gol)

Now, take out even more broth and put in more ingredients to the point where now the broth complements the main meat and veggie ingredients! This is what we call a 전골. These dishes are typically cooked in more flat, wide pots so that the broth boils down faster.

Types of 전골

• 부대전골
• 불고기전골
• 버섯전골