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.

The study presented attempts to analyze and categorize Chosun’s food ingredients and culture through a Western perspective based on 32 representative Western documents pertaining to old Korea. Before modernization, Westerners visited Chosun during their visits to old China or Japan. Westerners were most active in Chosun from the open port period to the annexation of Korea to Japan occupation. They were teachers, missionaries, diplomats, and doctors visiting Chosun with personal goals. In 31 book traveler’s journal, it records Chosen’s mainly produced ingredients, such as grains, spices, fruits, cabbage, chicken, and chestnuts; foods from Chosen include kimchi, soup, and tofu. Foreigners especially liked foods made of eggs and chicken, but they did not enjoy Chosun’s lack of sugar and dairy. Thirty-one book foreigners’ records describe Chosun’s Ondol, kitchen, crock, fermented foods, low dining tables, and chopsticks. Chosun people liked dog meat, unrestrained drinking culture, sungnyung, and tea culture. Foreign documentation on Chosun’s food culture allows modern scholars to learn about Chosun people’s lifestyles, as if their lives were a vivid picture

A study was carried out to compare the food cultures among Korea (Chosun dynasty), China (Ming, thing dynasty) and Japan (Muromachi, Edo era) from 14 century to 19 century. For this study, geographical environments, historical background with the times were researched and also bibliographies related on food cultures were compared among these three countries. There were special geographical environments in three countries upon their territories and geographical features. Historically, in those era, the livelyhoods of the common people in three countries were difficult considerably because of the disturbances of war in the inside and outside of the countries. But the food cultures of three countries were changed owe to introduce the new western culture and institutions. And also there were numerous bibliographies related on food culture which were published from 14C to 19C in Chosun dynasty, Ming and Ching dynasty, and Muromachi, Edo era. They were shown to be the most in Japan, and order of China and Korea followed them. The bibliographies of Ming and thing dynasty showed less than those of Edo era for considering their population and territory, comparatively. In Japan, the biliographies related on food culture of Edo era was given the term of the age of cookery books. It was thought to be resulted from that the peoples of Japan were concerned about cooking and had more chances to contact foreign culture earlier than other country.