banchan
Banchan: the small dishes that make a Korean table
What banchan are, how a table is counted and where kimchi fits.
Book the Seoul cooking class ↗Banchan at a glance
| Point | What to know |
|---|---|
| What they are | Small side dishes served with cooked rice |
| Where they sit | In the middle of the table, shared |
| More or fewer | The more formal the meal, the more banchan |
| Counting | Settings of 3, 5, 7, 9 or 12 cheop; kimchi is not counted |
| Famous for variety | Jeolla Province |
Small dishes, shared
Banchan are served in small portions along with cooked rice and set in the middle of the table to share. They are meant to be finished at each meal and refilled if the table runs short.
The more formal, the more dishes
Formal meals bring more banchan. A basic table is described by how many are added, three, five, seven, nine or twelve cheop, and the twelve-cheop table belongs to Korean royal cuisine.
Kimchi sits outside the count
Kimchi, salted and fermented vegetables most often made from cabbage or Korean radish, is itself a banchan. It stays outside the cheop count and is eaten with almost every Korean meal.
A regional pride
Jeolla Province is especially famous for putting many different banchan on the table in a single meal.
What the class puts out
About ten tastings come with the meal, from kimchi and radish kimchi to Korean egg-roll, stir-fried anchovy, seasoned soybean sprouts, seasoned spinach and spicy cucumber.
Eating them
Treat the small bowls as a shared spread: take a little of each, finish what you take and let the table be replenished.