Korean temple cuisine, which embodies the teachings and spirit of Buddhism, has been designated as a national heritage.
The Korea Heritage Service announced on the 19th that it designates 'temple cuisine,' a traditional method of eating represented by the daily meals and bowl offerings of monks, as an intangible cultural heritage.
Temple cuisine was recognized for its designated value as an intangible cultural heritage in aspects such as ▲ its development since the introduction of Buddhism and its continuation to the present ▲ the Buddhist principle of not killing living things and the value of respect for life ▲ reflection of local characteristics ▲ expansion through transmission within temples and creative reinterpretation.
Temple cuisine consists of foods transmitted within temples, encompassing the daily meals and bowl offerings that monks consume. A key characteristic is that it centers on vegetarianism, excluding meat, fish, and the five pungent vegetables (garlic, scallions, chives, wild chives, and other pungent vegetables).
Temple cuisine gradually took root in our food culture after Buddhism was introduced. Records related to temple cuisine, such as vegetarian dumplings and mountain radish kimchi, can be found in historical texts from the Goryeo Dynasty, including 'Dongguk Yisanggukjip' and 'Jogye Jin-gak Guksa Eollok.'
During the Joseon Dynasty, temples were known to play a role in supplying fermented soy products like tofu and meju, exchanging these foods with the yangban (nobility) and grains.
Temple cuisine is set to be managed as a community item without a specific holder or organization.
A representative from the Korea Heritage Service noted, "Considering that various cooking methods have been passed down in each temple and that the collective transmission system involves all members of the temple community centered around the monks, we plan to share the value of temple cuisine as an intangible cultural heritage with the public through active support for academic research and revitalization programs for transmission."