E2024-G041
Ceremonial Cuisine of Korea’s Southern Provinces: Living Traditions of Ritual and Taste
Narrative
The southern region of Korea, centered around the fertile Naju Plain, has long fostered a rich and generous culinary tradition. Within this context developed the Ceremonial Cuisine of Korea’s Southern Provinces, a form of traditional food culture passed down through formal ceremonies such as weddings and ancestral rites. This cuisine includes items like jesadak (boiled chicken served at ancestral rituals), ibaji eumsik (elaborate dishes sent from the bride’s family to the groom’s), and pyebaek eumsik (food presented by the bride to her in-laws after the wedding).
The individuals who preserve and transmit this tradition are recognized as Masters of the Ceremonial Cuisine of Korea’s Southern Provinces. They play a central role in sustaining not only the culinary techniques but also the cultural values embodied in these ritual practices. Notable masters include Yi Yeon-chae (1916-1994), Choe Yeong-ja, Yi Ae-seop, and Min Gyeong-suk, many of whom are affiliated with the Association for Traditional Southern Ceremonial Cuisine and the Museum of Southern Korean Cuisine.
Today, through exhibitions and educational programs at the museum, this ceremonial cuisine continues to thrive as a living cultural heritage, offering insight into the region’s history and everyday life.
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