A Bibliographical Study on Namul of Koryo and Chosun Dynasty

고려와 조선시대의 문헌으로 본 한국의 나물

The "Namul" is a Korean common vegetable food composed of edible young leaves and soft stalks of wild plants or cultivating vegetables and treated with traditional condiments. It has been widely used as not only a regular diet but seasonal foods or special ceremonial foods. In this thesis, the kinds of edible plants for namul were philologically approached by books published in Korea from Koryo to Chosun dynasty. The first historical record about cultivated vegetable as food in Korea was a garlic and a gourd in $\ulcorner$Samkuksaki$\lrcorner$. According to numerous records, edible wild plants might have played an important part as food resources, since they have variable edible portions as famine relief foods. Four kinds of namul were first introduced in Koryo age, but in Chosun dynasty over eighty kinds were recorded. The root of ballonflower and white radish were most commonly used for raw namul and bamboo shoot and squash for boils ones. Most kinds of namul were introduced in $\ulcorner$Zeungtosanrimkwungiae$\lrcorner$ and $\ulcorner$Limwonsiprwukji$\lrcorner$ influenced by pragmatism in later half period of Chosun. The chronic state of famine in later half period of Chosun caused to introduce various edible wild vegetables, and had greatly influenced on the Korean people to acquire vegetarian food habits and to favor salty taste. It seems to need a further study on recent nutritional problems including dietary fiber.ary fiber.