Ipchun (입춘, 立春) marks the beginning of the first of the 24 solar terms and it falls around Feb. 4. It heralds the beginning of spring and the time to start farming. As the spring air begins to spread, the body’s metabolism gets more active, requiring three or five times more vitamin consumption. For this reason, we need to eat more vitamins at this time of year for smoother physical activities. As people didn’t have the chance to eat fresh vegetables in the winter in the past, their bodies showed some symptoms of a lack of vitamins when the spring came: dizziness, lack of appetite or a swelling in the gums. So people needed more vitamins as they’re a must-have nutrient that helps to boost the metabolism. Herbs or spring greens are one of the best sources that contain a lot of vitamins.
In the past, people used to pick sought-out herbs and flowers that grew in nearby pastures or grasslands. This can be found in the dish Ipchun osinban (입춘오신반, 立春五辛盤), which means “a platter of five pungent-tasting spring greens.” This was their way to enjoy the taste of spring by eating five green herbs which were also calledosinchae (오신채, 五辛菜) or ohunchae (오훈채, 五葷菜). On the day of Ipchun, Ipchun osinban was served in the royal courts, too. Commoners also made such dishes and shared them with neighbors.
The ingredients of Ipchun osinban vary due to the time and region. The court people chose five kinds of green herbs, according to color. They placed the yellow herbs in the center, and then put the other four colors — blue, white, red and black — along the sides. The color placement represented harmony. By placing the yellow, which represented the king, in the middle, the dish emphasized the importance of harmoniously serving the king with one united mind.
Ipchun osinban includes the five spring greens that people would eat on the day of Ipchun. The greens are full of vitamins that help boost the metabolism and increase the appetite thanks to their bitter and sour tastes.
The commoners also cooked osinban/ osinchae. Their dish also had special meaning. People believed the dish represented the five virtuous duties, such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and sincerity (인, 의, 예, 지, 신, 仁, 義, 禮, 志, 信), and the five important human organs, the liver, heart, lungs, kidney and spleen. By eating this herb dish, people thought they could get all five virtues and that the dish would help them maintain a balance and harmony between their organs, which, in turn, would help them maintain their health. They also believed that they could endure the five pains of life if they were to eat osinban.
1. Chives salad, or umpa muchim
**Ingredients
200 grams of chives
0.5 teaspoons of salt
Seasoning sauce:
0.66 tablespoons of soy bean paste
1 tablespoon of red pepper paste
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
0.5 chopped green onions
2 teaspoons of chopped garlic
0.5 teaspoons of sesame oil
** Recipe
1. Wash the chives in water. Blanch the chives in boiling water with a sprinkle of salt to make it greener. Wash the blanched chives in cold water and remove the water from the chives.
2. Season the chives and mix them well with the sauce.
A chive salad, or umpa muchim, is a delicious seasonal spring vegetable dish.
2. Mustard leaf side dish, or gyeojaip namul
** Ingredients
200 grams of mustard leaves
Seasoning:
0.66 tablespoons of soy bean paste
0.5 tablespoons of red pepper paste
0.5 teaspoons of chopped green onions
2 teaspoons of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon of sesame salt
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
** Recipe
1. Wash the mustard leaves in running water about three or four times. Chop the leaves. Chop the leaves into 3 to 4 centimeter lengths.
2. Season the leaves with the seasoning sauce and mix well.
A mustard leaf side dish, or gyeojaip namul, is another spring dish served after Ipchun.
3. Radish leaf salad, or musun geotjeori
** Ingredients
100 grams of radish leaves
Seasoning:
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
0.5 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of sesame salt
1 tablespoon of vinegar
** Recipe
1. Wash the radish leaves in running water three or four times.
2. Season the leaves with the sauce and mix well.
Radish leaf salad, or musun geotjeori, is one of the five traditional dishes served in the early spring.
4. Wild parsley salad, or dolminari muchim
** Ingredients
200 grams of wild parsley
Seasoning:
2 tablespoons of red pepper paste
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of vinegar
0.5 tablespoons of chopped green onions
0.25 tablespoons of chopped garlic
a sprinkle of sesame salt
** Recipe
1. Wash the wild parsley in clean water. Blanch it in boiling water with a sprinkle of salt to make it greener. Wash it in cold water and remove all the water from the leaves.
2. Season the parsley with the sauce and mix well.
Wild parsley salad, or dolminari muchim, can be enjoyed once the snows start to melt and Ipchun arrives.
5. Wild chive salad, or dallae muchim
** Ingredients
100 grams of wild chives
Seasoning:
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
0.5 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of chili pepper
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
0.5 tablespoons of vinegar
** Recipe
1. Trim and clean the wild chives in water three or four times. Chop it into 3 to 4 centimeter lengths.
2. Season the wild chives with the seasoning.
Wild chive salad, or dallae muchim is one of the five dishes traditionally eaten with the arrival of spring.
Managed by Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
In cooperation with the Institute of Traditional Korean Food (ITKF)
Recipe from “The Beauty of Korean Food: 100 Best-Loved Recipes”
arete@korea.kr
