Stories from tables around the world
This is a Korean dish served with ssamjang, a savory sauce made with the rich flavor of fermented soybeans, alongside simply boiled pork (suyuk).
Origin and food culture
Ssamjang is a seasoned paste based on doenjang. It has long been enjoyed with Korea’s ssam culture, where rice or meat is wrapped in vegetables. Doenjang is one of Korea’s fermented soybean pastes, and ssamjang is made by adding various seasonings to it. Because each home and restaurant uses different levels of spiciness, sweetness, and mix-ins, ssamjang with the same name can taste different.
What is it usually eaten with?
Suyuk is sometimes eaten with ssam vegetables, garlic, and kimchi, and ssamjang adds flavor to ssam eaten with vegetables or rice. These are general pairing examples. Wrapping rice, meat, and paste together in lettuce or perilla leaves is also a familiar way to eat. What is actually being served today is suyuk and ssamjang, so we have separated these usual pairings from the festival offering.
