Bap (food)

Bap

Place of origin	Korea
Main ingredients	Rice and/or other grains

Korean name
Hangul	밥
Revised Romanization	bap
McCune–Reischauer	pap
IPA	[pap̚]

Bap (밥) is a term used for the staple food made by boiling rice and/or other grains until the water has cooked away. The word can also be used to refer to a meal. The honorific forms of bap include jinji (진지) for an elderly, sura (수라) for the monarch, and me (메) for the deceased (in the ancestral rites).

In Korean cuisine, bap is made from either white Japonica rice, or rice mixed with other grains such as black rice, barley, sorghum, various millets and beans. Special ingredients such as vegetables, seafood, and meat can also be added to create different kinds of bap.

Traditionally, bap was made using a big cast iron cauldron for a large family. These days, an electronic rice cooker is usually used to cook rice. To enjoy nurungji (scorched rice), a dolsot (stone pot) or regular heavy bottomed pot can be used.

The rice is scrubbed in water and rinsed several times before getting cooked. This process produces tteumul (water from the last washing of rice), which can be used for cooking food, soaking dried fish and vegetables, washing fruits, watering plants, and even washing one's face. Some cosmetics are advertised as containing the components of tteumul.

Soaking rice for thirty minutes before boiling can help the grains cook evenly. With unpolished brown rice and bigger grains such as Job's tears, it is necessary to soak the grains for several hours overnight to avoid under-cooking. In a regular heavy bottomed pot, rice can be boiled over medium high heat with the lid on for about ten minutes, stirred, then simmered on a low heat for additional five to ten minutes.

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