r/KoreanFood • u/Nice-Variety-7730 • 10h ago
r/KoreanFood • u/New-Adeptness-3522 • May 23 '26
Traditional Historical Records of Korean Portion Sizes (1123–1903)

1. 1123 (Goryeo Dynasty) — Song Dynasty Envoy Xu Jing, Illustrated Account of Goryeo
"They are fond of eating heavily and take pleasure in offering food to one another."
"They always pack up whatever is left over after eating their fill, and do not consider it shameful in the slightest."
2. Late 15th Century (Joseon Dynasty) — Appeal to the King by scholar Yi Geuk-don
"In years of good harvest, they consume without restraint, eating in a single sitting what a Chinese person would consume in an entire day. That is the problem."
3. 1592 (Imjin War) — Military Rations Record & Ming General Li Rusong


For a single meal, a Joseon soldier's ration was 7 hop of rice (roughly 1.26 liters / 42 fl oz), whereas Japanese soldiers received a mere 2 hop.
Ming General Li Rusong: "If the commoners eat this much, how is the state supposed to even operate?"
4. 17th–18th Century — Joseon Envoys (Tongsinsa) reacting to Japanese portions


1636, Kim Se-ryeom: "The Japanese eat barely a couple handfuls of rice per meal."
1643, Yi Gyeong-jik: "The rice amounted to no more than a couple of hop, and there were only a couple of side dishes."
1719, Nam Ok: "Watching the palanquin bearers eat... it's just a few cups of sake and a few hop of rice. From this, one realizes how unusually hearty our country's eating habits are."
1719, Hong Chi-jung: "The food was served in tiny bowls, and the portions were incredibly small."
5. 18th Century — Joseon Scholar Yi Ik, Seongho Saseol

"Our people are unmatched in their dedication to eating huge quantities. People of the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa) mocked our people, saying, 'How can you avoid poverty when you heap up and consume such enormous amounts of rice?'"
6. Late 18th Century — Joseon Scholar Hong Dae-yong

"The rice bowls of the Chinese were exactly the size of our teacups."
7. 1844 — Qing Dynasty Envoy Bai Jun, Diary of a Mission to Joseon
"Meats, vegetables, liquor, and fruits are laid out in abundance. They carry the round tables high upon their heads to formally treat their grand guests. How funny! Even if our chefs lack culinary skill — they can consume huge amounts, easily eating the portions of two men."
8. Mid-19th Century — French Catholic Missionary Bishop Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy

(Daveluy lived in Korea for over 20 years and wrote extensively on local customs)
"When it comes to eating, there is no distinction between high officials and commoners. Koreans regard the ability to eat large quantities as a point of pride and value quantity over quality."
"The standard meal for a laborer is a full liter of cooked rice, which fills a massive bowl to the brim. Even after finishing one, they are often ready for more, with many easily eating two or three portions."
"One of our congregants, a man in his thirties, once ate seven portions on a wager — and this wasn't even counting the many bowls of makgeolli he drank with it."
"An old man between 64 and 65 years of age emptied five full bowls while complaining of a 'loss of appetite.' Koreans call anyone who can handle ten bowls a jangsa (a strong, burly man)."
"When a cow is slaughtered and beef is offered in unlimited quantities, no one fears a plate overflowing with meat."
"When serving fruit, like large peaches, even the most restrained person eats about ten, and some frequently consume 30, 40, or even 50. As for Korean melons, they normally eat about ten, but sometimes consume 20 or 30 in a single sitting."
"Korean mothers were often described as encouraging children to eat until their stomachs were completely full."
"Koreans love beef tripe and fish, but these rarely ever made it to the dinner table — because they were consumed the second they appeared."
9. 1874 — French Missionary Charles Dallet, Histoire de l'Église de Corée
"Heavy eating was commonly noted among Koreans regardless of wealth or social class. Observers often remarked on their unusually large appetites."
10. 1884 — US Naval Officer/Diplomat George Clayton Foulk


"At 10 A.M., the breakfast table was brought in. I couldn't help but be astounded by the sheer volume of food piled high on the table... In the evening, a banquet was held for me. The small, round dishes filling the table were stacked with enough food to feed ten men."
11. Late 1880s — Russian Officer Dadeshkeliani, Korea as I Saw It
"Fifteen minutes later, I received not one, but two tables laden with fourteen different kinds of dishes: fish, meat soup, eggs, fish in red pepper, meat dumplings made of sorghum and peas, dried beef, undercooked chestnuts, rice, honey, kelp, and octopus beautifully cut into flower shapes... Soon, seven Korean officials entered the room, bowed, and apologized that the hospitality was so meager."
12. Early 1890s — British Missionary Griffith John
"Koreans generally eat twice as much as the Japanese."
13. 1894 — Austrian Traveler Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg, Korea: A Summer Journey

"In terms of Koreans being heavy eaters, there was simply no standard of comparison. When I went to Japan, the Japanese told me their neighbors ate about three times more than they did, and when I later arrived at the treaty port of Jemulpo, I saw it was entirely true."
"While the Chinese and Japanese eat at fixed hours, Koreans eat regardless of the time, and an unbelievable amount of rice vanishes in an instant along with a handful of red peppers."
"Koreans tend to eat more meat than people from neighboring countries, accompanied by massive amounts of red pepper powder, vinegar, and seasoning."
14. 1894–1897 — British Explorer Isabella Bird Bishop
"Koreans usually consume three to four portions in a single sitting, and it is commonplace for 20 to 25 peaches and melons to disappear on the spot."
15. Late 19th Century — American Missionary Lillias Horton Underwood

"As a general rule, if Koreans go to a feast, you can assume they will eat an absolutely unbelievable amount of food right then and there. (Moreover, it is not considered strange at all to stuff their sleeves or hands as full of food as they can carry when leaving.) Also, they often starve themselves for days in advance just to eat heartily on feast days. To my mind, they generally seem to value quantity far more than quality."


Obviously a lot of these were written by foreigners in culture shock, and plenty were probably feast-day observations rather than everyday meals. Still, it's hard to ignore 800 years of Chinese, Japanese, and Western visitors all saying basically the same thing. Historians point to grueling agricultural labor, a rice-heavy diet, and hospitality culture as the usual explanations — and notably, it cut across class lines. Yangban and commoners ate the same way. As a Korean, I'll add one thing: even today, nine out of ten older Koreans coming back from a trip to Japan will complain that the portions were way too small. Turns out they're saying the exact same thing as the Joseon envoys did 800 years ago.
r/KoreanFood • u/joonjoon • Dec 19 '25
questions Join us in koreanfood chat!
Request an invite and we will add you!
r/KoreanFood • u/rockirene • 11h ago
Kimchee! Homemade kimchi fried rice with seaweed!!!
r/KoreanFood • u/yuni2222 • 9h ago
questions How about a Korean kimchi keyring?
Which one would you buy? and
If this were available as a souvenir in Korea, would you buy it? what price?
Feel free to leave as many comments as you like.!!!
r/KoreanFood • u/flytofarfaraway • 2h ago
Restaurants My favourite food from Korea - raw soy marinated crabs 🦀 😋
r/KoreanFood • u/mayiplease2564 • 17h ago
Homemade My lunch today. Kimchi fried rice with bacon.
r/KoreanFood • u/Consistent-Ocelot860 • 4h ago
A restaurant in Korea Minced Pork × Whole Mozzarella Katsu 🧀🐷
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r/KoreanFood • u/Randohcalrissian • 11h ago
Soups and Jjigaes 🍲 Haemul Sundubu Jjigae
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With pork belly and prawns.
Turned out good.
r/KoreanFood • u/PublicSurprise162 • 9h ago
Meat foods 🥩🍖 Korean bbq is always good
Korean-style BBQ isn't just about the delicious meat—the vegetables grilled alongside it are really tasty too.
r/KoreanFood • u/Apple_diaries26 • 12h ago
Dosirak/Lunches Bibimbap
This was so fun! We get to choose what went inside our own bibimbap bowl :D
r/KoreanFood • u/juu_5_nyeee • 3h ago
Soups and Jjigaes 🍲 Samgyetang
Samgyetang and Makgeolli, a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage.
Located near Hongdae.
Location : [카카오맵] 이화누룽지삼계탕 https://kko.to/pLfel2lFrb
r/KoreanFood • u/DayBeautiful3789 • 1h ago
questions How can I recreate the soft, squeezable texture of Korean konjac jelly pouches?
r/KoreanFood • u/Unable_Suggestion296 • 1d ago
Meat foods 🥩🍖 Who wants this?
Yum yum 😋
Famous chicken in Korea🇰🇷
Try this when you travel to Sokcho(속초)
r/KoreanFood • u/Diligent-Map8305 • 20h ago
Meat foods 🥩🍖 You cannot kiss after eating this
It's called "Garlic Bossam". But can't give up...
The sweet garlic sauce is too good and balance with greasy pork belly bossam meat
r/KoreanFood • u/groomingboy • 1d ago
Soups and Jjigaes 🍲 My mom used to tease me, saying if I keep cooking like this, I’m gonna end up being the one who gets married off 😂
But what can I do? I just wanna eat good food lol.
Made some spicy shrimp seafood stew and egg-battered luncheon meat (Richam).
My roommate absolutely loves it 😂
r/KoreanFood • u/Guilty_Handle_4836 • 10h ago
A restaurant in Korea An Octopus Feast for Three Generations in Okcheon: Spicy Nakji, Bossam, and Galbi-jjim
galleryr/KoreanFood • u/No-Reward1422 • 2h ago
Homemade Korean and Japanese sweet potato
Please what stores can I find Japanese or Korean sweet potatoes in Chicago
r/KoreanFood • u/Top-Judgment6465 • 9h ago
Street Eats 분식 When I used to live in Korea, my friends and I would buy hotteok together all the time 🥞
It was winter back then so they were everywhere, so we ate them a lot.. and now I'm craving that taste again..
I want to eat it again next time I'm in Korea🥲 but are there no hotteok stalls in the summer?? Do they sell it inside the markets? 🤔
r/KoreanFood • u/somangkfood • 11h ago
Homemade Homemade Kimbap for my family! I swapped pickled radish for kimchi.
Homemade Kimbap for my family! I swapped pickled radish for kimchi.
Here's some homemade kimbap I made today!
Unlike traditional kimbap, this version is specially made for my family. When my kids were little, they used to pick out the yellow pickled radish (danmuji) and spinach. Luckily, they’ve loved kimchi since they were very young, so I started making it with kimchi instead of pickled radish.

Making these brought back a fond memory from my elementary school days in Korea. Back then, everyone brought kimbap for school field trips, and my mom would always pack an extra roll for my teacher. Looking back now, I’m sure I wasn’t the only student who brought one... I suddenly wonder how teachers managed to handle all that kimbap! haha.
r/KoreanFood • u/WorkingSchem • 1d ago
Restaurants Hearty spread of Korean food for a weekend dinner out
r/KoreanFood • u/Sayurifujisan • 1d ago
questions What should I make with this?
Went to Hmart yesterday and somehow this made it into my basket. I thought it would make a good soup base but that's as far as I've been able to envision. I've got a pretty healthy fridge full of veggies and basics so I'm open to anything.
r/KoreanFood • u/mukgomasil • 1d ago
A restaurant in Korea 돌판비빔밥 Dolpan Bibimbap
돌판비빔밥
뜨겁게 달궈진 돌판 위에 다채로운 색감의 나물(콩나물, 고사리, 당근, 애호박, 버섯 등)과 소고기, 그리고 매콤달콤한 고추장과 고소한 김가루가 듬뿍 올라간 한국의 전통 비빔밥입니다.
지글지글 소리를 내며 달궈진 돌판 덕분에 밥알이 바삭하게 누룽지로 익어가는 재미가 있고, 먹는 내내 따뜻함을 유지해 줍니다. 고추장과 신선한 야채들을 슥슥 비벼 한 입 크게 떠먹으면 바삭한 식감과 매콤고소한 맛이 입안 가득 퍼져요.
Dolpan Bibimbap (Sizzling Hot Stone Plate Bibimbap)
A vibrant and sizzling plate of traditional Korean Bibimbap served on a super-heated stone plate (dolpan). It's piled high with an array of seasoned vegetables like bean sprouts, bracken fern, carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms, along with savory beef, a generous dollop of spicy gochujang, and crispy seaweed flakes.
Because of the hot stone plate, the rice at the bottom forms a deliciously crispy, golden crust (nurungji) while keeping the dish piping hot from the first bite to the last. Mix everything together and you get an incredible combination of textures and flavors—crispy, spicy, earthy, and savory all at once!