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Dish guide · Rice dishes

🥬

Ssambap

쌈밥

Rice wrapped in leafy greens

♨️ Served hot🌶 Mildly spicy🥬 Vegetarian versions exist: ask

A meal you build yourself: rice and a little of whatever is on the table, wrapped in a fresh leaf with a dab of ssamjang (savory dipping paste) and eaten in one bite. Ssam means wrap and bap means rice.

What it is

  • Common leaves include lettuce, perilla and cabbage, and pumpkin leaves are usually steamed first.
  • Ssamjang is a thick paste of doenjang (soybean paste) and gochujang, often with garlic and oil, and sometimes crushed nuts.
  • Ssambap restaurants usually serve a set: rice and a basket of leaves with stew, grilled fish or pork, and many small side dishes.

How to eat it

  1. 1Take a leaf in your hand, add a little rice and whatever you like, top with ssamjang, fold it up and eat it in one bite.
  2. 2Keep each wrap small enough to fit comfortably in your mouth. Using your hands is the normal way.

History

  • Wrapping rice in leaves is an old habit. The Yuan-dynasty Chinese poet Yang Yunfu wrote of Goryeo people wrapping rice in raw vegetables and praised their lettuce.
  • In the Joseon era, wraps became a seasonal dish, especially at the first full moon of the year, when they were eaten for good fortune.

Allergies and diet

Usually contains

soywheatsesameporkfish
  • Rice, leaves and ssamjang have no meat, but the set usually comes with pork, fish and stew. Ask what can be left out.
  • Soybean stew is often made with anchovy broth, and kimchi and other side dishes often contain fish sauce or salted seafood.
  • Ssamjang can contain wheat and sesame, and some recipes add crushed nuts.

Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.

🗣️ Allergy card for the staff

Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.

📍 Where to try it

Sources

We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-11-03.