This study summarizes the research methods, subjects, research processes, and achievements of major researchers by analyzing previous research results on Korean food history. The goal of the current study aimed to seek the methodology and direction of ‘food history research’. Literature data from 1945 to 2022 were examined. Results of excavation research on ancient food literature were divided into the following stages: the 1980s, when the foundation for ‘cataloging’ was laid, and the 2000s, when ‘digitization’ was achieved. Achievements of each period were collected, and the achievements and limitations were analyzed. Next, the research results were classified into ‘Food technology history’, ‘Recipe change history’, and ‘Food culture and dietary history’. We observed that around the 2000s, anthropology and folklore research perspectives were reflected, and the research on ‘history of diet’ reached a turning point. Our results indicate the possibility that food history can develop as a special historical area. This could be achieved by establishing an exchange system with other disciplines and creating a systematic curriculum.

This article defines the characteristics of Korean vegetarianism by tracing the changes in the core motives revealed in the historical development of the vegetarian movement that started in the West. We further explore and compare the limitations of the vegetarian movement conceived in the West with the essential values, ‘How can Korean vegetarian culture gain the upper hand?’. Our results indicate that the sequential changes of the motives inherent to the flow of the modern vegetarian movement were <religious-philosophy>, <political-society>, and <healthy-nutrition>. This settled the transition from ‘vegetarianism as an ideological form’ to ‘vegetarianism as a lifestyle’, making it a more becoming way of life. However, along with the spread of ‘vegetarian lifestyle as a form of life’, commercial vegetarianism, which overshadows the essential value of vegetarianism, continued to flourish due to the modern capitalist industrial system. To curb commercialization, the necessity arose to establish a new vegetarian diet with a propensity towards an ‘ecological-environmental point of view’. Thus, in order to establish the term and concept of a vegetarian diet for Korean vegetarian characteristics, we propose the formation of a vegetarian term and concept suitable for the Korean vegetarian culture.

The Chinese Sigyeong records the foods of the Primitive Pickling Period, pickling being a universal vegetable storage method, but does not indicate the origin of the pickled vegetables or the location of the source of transmission. Kimchi mainly used salt and sauce-based soaking materials at the beginning of the Fermented Pickling Period (beginning in the 1st to 3rd centuries A.D.), and it differed from the Chinese method, which used alcohol and vinegar. In the Umami-Flavored Pickling Period (beginning in the 14th and 15th centuries A.D.), jeotgal, fermented seafoods, were added, and pickles with a completely new identity were created, one different from any other pickles in the world. Lastly, entering the Complex Fermentation and Pickling Period (beginning in the 17th and 18th centuries), the technical process evolved using a separate special seasoning containing red pepper as the secondary immersion source after pickling in brine, the primary immersion source. As a result of this, kimchi was transformed into a food with a unique form and taste not found anywhere else. The unique characteristic of kimchi is that the composition of original materials, a combination of salted marine life and vegetable ingredients, is its core identity, and there is a methodological difference in that it is completed through a second process called saesaengchae (生菜)-chimchae (沈菜).

This research is the first known to introduce and analyze food-related content among the records left by George Clayton Foulk (1856-1893), a naval attaché dispatched as part of a U.S. delegation to Korea during the Joseon dynasty in the 19th century. Sketches and memos by Foulk provide important clues in understanding the food culture during the late Joseon dynasty. By analyzing the types of foods, table composition, and intervals between serving the nine rounds of food from the rural government office, which Foulk ate during his local trip, he was able to confirm that there was a starter (‘preliminary table’ or ‘hors d’oeuvre’) before the main table and that it was served before the main dish.

This study aims to establish a strategy for selling kimchi to satisfy the needs and wants of European consumers through survey, FGI, and IDI. All survey participants were Europeans and were selected on the basis of their kimchi awareness. For the quantitative survey, 246 participants 15 years or older were selected; for FGI, 33 participants aged between 20 and 49 were selected; and for IDI, eight chefs were selected. The survey included four steps of ‘Awareness-First try-Needs-Future consumption’. The participants got to know kimchi through the Internet; for example, by visiting Korea and Hallyu, and suggested positive comments, including ‘fancy’ and ‘exotic.’ While satisfaction with kimchi sharply decreased due to taste and appearance in the first try of kimchi, it is important to provide the best first-try experience. It also showed that important needs for kimchi are ‘hot sensation’ , ‘crunchiness’ and ‘presentation’. They gave a negative answer to combination with traditional cuisines of their own country, but provided positive comments for benchmarking the use of traditional pickled foods. This study suggests that it may be necessary to implement a two-track strategy by the traditional kimchi as a ‘strategic product’ and localized kimchi as a ‘key product’.

This paper provides a comprehensive description of previous studies of making and developing kimchi in terms of the origins of kimchi and the changes in the history of kimchi, along with newly discovered data, including the collection of works in Joseon Dynasty as well as old cookbooks discovered after the year 2000, and latest research in related disciplines, e.g., ancient history studies, archeology, and linguistics. Because new ruins and relics, such as the Liao-ho Civilization in the Northeast Asia continent, which was closely related to Dongyi tribes, have been discovered and studied, it is important to determine how to reflect the outcome of archeological studies on the origin of preserved vegetables. In addition, to describe the background and changes in the independent formation of making Korean kimchi chronologically, they were divided into the following: development from jjanji to singunji; formation of the basis for seokbakji dressed with fermented fish sauce; settlement of seokbakji culture for dressing seokbakji with fermented fish sauce and spices, including chili varieties when they were introduced; and establishment of the method for making whole cabbage kimchi, which is currently typical kimchi made by adding the seokbakji as the stuffing of the cabbage kimchi, to examine the time and specific details of the change.

This study aims to examine the contents of「Juchochimjeobang」, a cookbook about Jeotgal kimchi, and review its value in the history. This cookbook was published between about 1500s and early 1600s, and its book title is unknown because both the front and the back covers thereof are missing. However, the cookbook contains many wine and kimchi recipes, accounting for 66%, and「Juchochimjeobang」 was thus named after the recipes.「Juchochimjeobang」 has 126 recipes in 120 categories, and this study examines 20 kimchi recipes and 7 recipes for preserving vegetables.「Juchochimjeobang」 has a specific recipe for making Jahajeot and Baekajeot kimchi which are described in literature published between 1400s and 1500s. Although the recipes for making the aforementioned two types of Jeotgal kimchi are simple because jeotgal is just mixed with main materials, they are different from the recipe for Seokbakji described in Gyuhapchongseo, a cookbook written in the 19th-century Joseon Dynasty. Seokbakji described in Gyuhapchongseo is made by mixing spices of ginger, spring onion, chili powder with other materials. This implies changes of making Seokbakji over time. Moreover, 「Juchochimjeobang」is a very valuable historical cookbook because it has unique recipes, for example, adding sesame liquid, chinese pepper, willow and the like.

This study introduced 「Dongchundang Eumsikbeop」and examined its value as a reference. 「Dongchundang Eumsikbeop」is a recipe book from the Head House of Eunjin Song Clan. As the author is unknown, the book is named after where it was found.「Dongchundang Eumsikbeop」records the recipes for 32 total foods, including 12 types of fermented foods, eight types of liquor, and six types of side dishes, etc. In「Jusiksiui」, written by the same clan 100 years before, fermented foods account for 15% of its contents. On the other hand, this book assigns 34% of its space to fermented foods. It is assumed that the recipe book must have been compiled according to what households ate the most, as hostesses had to cook for their households due to financial difficulties at the time. In「Dongchundang Eumsikbeop」, baking soda and alum were used as leavening agents for confectionery while sugar-based caramelizing was used for making soy sources, implying that modern food techniques were already applied. In short, this book provides a glimpse into the wisdom of hostesses of the Head House who improved recipes to suit changing times while adhering to tradition.

This study compared recipes of Korean Traditional steamed dishes, Noodles, Rice cake & Confectionary in Choi’s Recipe (「Choi’s Eumsikbeop」) with those in other literatures written during the mid-Joseon Dynasty. Through this work, it aimed to explore the value of Choi’s Recipe (「Choi’s Eumsikbeop」) in the history of cooking and the meanings of its recipes. Choi’s Recipe (「Choi’s Eumsikbeop」) contains recipes for a total of 20 kinds of food. Specifically, there are seven kinds of Fermented dishes (kimchi (6), and salted fermented food (1)), four kinds of Steamed dishes, seven kinds of Confectionary and Sweet (rice cake (4), jeonggwa (1), and dang (2)), and two kinds of Noodles (dumpling (1), and noodle (1)). Among them, the steamed dishes revealed characteristics of 17th-century food as in other cooking books, and some of them utilized unique ingredients handed down only through head families. Moreover, some recipes showed different cooking methods using similar materials. This suggests the originality of the recipes in this cooking book.

This study explores the original text of a Korean recipe book written in the 17th century, which is hitherto unknown to food-related societies, and analyzes the characteristics of the recipes in this book. Choi’s recipes in Jasonbojoen (子孫寶傳) are significant, as it is a rare instance of a Korean cookbook written by a woman-few pre-17th century recipe books of this type are known to have survived. This study made some important discoveries after analyzing this book. First, by using pasqueflower and cockscomb, it was possible to identify the era-specific characteristics of kimchi recipes from the 1400s until after the 1700s. Second, this book has historical value, as it shows that the combination of kimchi with cockscomb and the recipe for stuffed eggplant kimchi made only with a small portion of garlic and salt have existed for longer than was previously believed. Third, this book can serve as a valuable database for studies on historical changes in Korean food recipes, as the recipes in this book besides those related to kimchi are representative of recipes in cookbooks before the 17th century. Additionally, it appears that some recipes in the book use very unique minor ingredients that cannot be found in other books.