Introduction of Temple (Buddhist) Cuisine

Buddhist cuisine is an East Asian cuisine which is followed by clergy and many believers from areas historically influenced by Chinese Buddhism. It is vegetarian or vegan, and it is based on the Dharmic concept of ahimsa (non-violence).

Vegetarian cuisine is known as sachal eumsik (사찰음식"temple food") in Korea

Simple and natural is the key basis of temple cuisine.
The food is prepared, generally in simple preparations, with expert attention to its quality, wholesomeness and flavor.

Today, this food is often seen as the basis of a nutritious and well-balanced style of cooking: a vegan diet, which uses only organic ingredients and no processed products. The food is minimally cooked, lightly seasoned and served in moderate quantities.

Not only is it healthy, it is also said to satisfy a spiritual craving.

In traditional temple food "The Five Stimulants" ("osinchae" in Korean): onions, green onions (scallions), baby garlic, green peppers, and honggo (dropwort) are not used.

Preserved&Fermented foods:

One of the characteristics of Korean temple food is preservation in order to eat foods even out of season. Some of these foods are

Kimchi, "doinjang" (soybean paste), "gochujang" (red pepper paste), "ganjang" (soy sauce), "jangajji" (pickled vegetables), "chojeorim" (vinegar-pickled vegetables), "sogumjeorim" (salt pickled vegetables) and "jangjeorim" (pickled vegetables in pot).

These recipes enable foods to be preserved for a long time without losing the supplemental nutrients necessary in a vegetarian diet.

Also some of these foods are fermented as well to enrich flavors and are known to have medicinal benefits.

Natural seasonings:

The usual seasoning includes ground mushrooms, kelp, sesame and raw beans.