• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.7-29
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• 1986

The food used in the royal palace of Chosun dynasty(朝鮮王朝) are viewed from various aspects of the dishes for ordinary meal, royal banquet, reception for the foreign representatives, wedding feast, and ancestral rites. Unfortunately most of knowledge on the food used in the royal palace is not accurate as it had been delivered orally and includes only that of the late Chosun dynasty era. Accordingly more accurate knowledge on its historical change could be illustrated by the ancient literature, including uigue(full account, 儀軌), dungrok(memorandum, 膳錄) or balgi(list, 件記). Though it is different from the preparation of King´s dinner table in kitchen, the uigue on ordinary meal, while King Jungcho(正祖) and his troupe visited the Hwasung(華城) has been handed down as the literature on the ordinary meal of the royal palace. Twenty seven kinds of uigue and dungrok on royal banquet for a celebration, from the 45th year of Sook Jong(肅宗, 1715) to the 6th year of Kwang Moo(光武, 1902), remain & reveal the change of features on dishes and food materials for royal banquet. Twenty kinds of uigue and dungrok on foods for reception of Chinese representatives, from the first year of Kwang Hae Koon(光海君, 1609) to the 21st year of Injo(仁祖, 1643), remain and antedate those on foods for royal banquet approximately 100 years. These have been precious materials for historical view on foods used in the royal palace. Twenty kinds of dungrok and uigue of karaedogam(嘉禮都監), in which dishes, food materials, and table setting diagram for dongrae feast (同牢宴) were put on record, remain as the litherature of wedding feast. Wangchosilrok(dynastic record, 王朝實錄) and numerous kinds of uigue have been helpful for study on foods used in ancestral rites. Detailed kinds and cooking procedures of foods for ancestral rites were clearly explained in Taesangji(太常志). A full view on foods used in the royal palace will be reproduced only through analytic study of these ancient litheratures.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.382-393
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• 2018

This study investigated Balgis (the record of the court)in the Joseon Dynasty pertaining to table settings for Sangsik (the meals for the dead). Sangsik are the records of daily meals for kings and key figures. In this study,14 pieces of Sangsikbalgi from 1890 to 1920, including two pieces from an unspecified period, were investigated to determine the composition and types of daily meals in the court. Meals consisted of a minimum of 10 dishes to a maximum 21 dishes, which basically included rice and soup. 'Jochi' was the term to refer to jjigae (stew) in the court. In Sangsikbalgi Bokgi, Gamjang, Jochi, Jjim, Suk, and Cho were all considered Jochi, which were recorded before Jeok or Jeon, where the side dishes were listed after rice and soup. This corresponded with the record of the royal tables in Wonhaeng-Ulmyo-Jeongri-Uigwe (圓行乙卯整理儀軌), in which Jochi included Jabjangjeon, Bokgi, Jabjang, and Cho. Whitebait and fruit, which are used as ingredients for Tang (soup) and Jeon, showed seasonal characteristics however, no other observed dishes showed seasonal variability. Additionally, beef and internal organs of animals were frequently used,regardless of seasons. When dishes in Sangsik were classified into basic dishes and additional cheop dishes (side dishes) based on Siuijeonseo (are recipe book of unknown authorship written in the late Joseon Dynasty), from five to nine Cheop dishes were set on the table, with seven being most common. Further comprehensive study needs to be conducted through undisclosed documents and private collections. Moreover, additional study of Judarye (anestral rites during the day for the royal) and cooking methods that were not investigated in detail in this study are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.508-533
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• 2019

This study investigated the Sachanbalgi, which record the royal feasts given by the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. These records are contained within the Gungjung Balgi, which recorded the types and quantity of items used in royal court ceremonies. The Eumsikbalgi is the general name for the records of food found within this document. Using these Eumsikbalgi, and in particular the Sachanbalgi, this study investigated the food eaten and bestowed by the Joseon royal family. The Sachanbalgi describes four categories or occasions of feasts: royal birthdays, childbirth, royal weddings, and funerals. These records allow us to reconstruct who the attendees were and what the table settings and food were for instances not directly indicated in oral records, books, or other documents. The food at these Sachan (feasts) was diverse, being related to the specific event, and its contents varied based on the position of the person who was receiving the food. Usually, Bab (rice) was not found at a Sachanbalgi, and only on two occasions were meals with Bab observed. Specifically, it was served with Gwaktang (seaweed soup) at a childbirth feast. There were seven kinds of soups and stews that appeared in the Sachanbalgi: Gwaktang, Yeonpo (octopus soup), Japtang (mixed food stew), Chogyetang (chilled chicken soup), Sinseonro (royal hot pot), and Yukjang (beef and soybean paste). Nureumjeok (grilled brochette) and Saengchijeok (pheasant), and Ganjeonyueo (pan-fried cow liver fillet) and Saengseonjeonyueo (pan-fried fish fillet) were eaten. Yangjeonyueo, Haejeon, Tigakjeon (pan-fried kelp) and other dishes, known and unknown, were also recorded. Boiled meat slices appeared at high frequency (40 times) in the records; likewise, 22 kinds of rice cake and traditional sweets were frequently served at feasts. Five kinds of non-alcoholic beverages were provided. Seasonal fruits and nuts, such as fresh pear or fresh chestnut, are thought to have been served following the event. In addition, a variety of dishes including salted dry fish, boiled dish, kimchi, fruit preserved in honey, seasoned vegetables, mustard seeds, fish, porridge, fillet, steamed dishes, stir-fried dishes, vegetable wraps, fruit preserved in sugar, and jellied foods were given to guests, and noodles appear 16 times in the records. Courtiers were given Banhap, Tanghap, Myeonhap, wooden bowls, or lunchboxes. The types of food provided at royal events tracked the season. In addition, considering that for feasts food of the royal household was set out for receptions of guests, cooking instructions for the food in the lunchbox-type feasts followed the cooking instructions used in the royal kitchen at the given time. Previous studies on royal cuisine have dealt mostly with the Jineosang presented to the king, but in the Sachanbalgi, the food given by the royal family to its relatives, retainers, and attendants is recorded. The study of this document is important because it extends the knowledge regarding the food of the royal families of the Joseon Dynasty. The analysis of Sachanbalgi and the results of empirical research conducted to reconstruct the precise nature of that food will improve modern knowledge of royal cuisine.