【Reading】きむぱぷ

【English Name】Kimbap (Gimbap)

Gimbap (김밥) is a rolled dish of Korean origin combining nori (laver) and cooked rice. A compound word in which "gim" means nori and "bap" means rice, it is also familiarly known by the name kimbap, and its recognition in Japan has been rising rapidly of late.

In the cooking process, a rolling mat is used; nori is spread out and rice seasoned with sesame oil and salt is thinly spread on top. The basic style is to place fillings such as pickled radish, thin-fried egg, carrot, burdock, ham, spinach, and cucumber in the center and roll it up. Whereas Japanese nori rolls use vinegared rice, gimbap adopts seasoning with sesame oil and salt, a major difference, and not including raw fish is another feature. Finally, sesame oil is rubbed over the surface and white sesame is scattered to finish.

The standard way to eat it is to cut it into rounds and put it straight into the mouth, but ways of eating it pan-fried or fried after coating with beaten egg also exist. In Korea it is a standard bento food as a companion for excursions and outings, and it circulates in various forms such as at stalls, convenience stores, and as ekiben (station box lunches).

The variations are also wide-ranging, including the bite-sized "Chungmu gimbap" with the fillings omitted, the slightly smaller "kkoma gimbap," the inside-out style "nude gimbap," and the triangle-shaped "samgak gimbap." On Jeju Island, one made using a whole saury is also known as a specialty.