"Suunjapbang and Eumsikdimibang: Culinary Knowledge Passed Down by Men and Women"

Maika Vandendriessche, MOWCAP coordinator at the Korean Studies Advancement Center
Introduces them as "rare evidence" of the localization of distilled-spirit knowledge

Joseon-era culinary knowledge recorded by men and passed down by women is under review in the Asia-Pacific region.

Maika Vandendriessche, MOWCAP coordinator at the Office of Korean Studies Resources at the Korean Studies Advancement Center, speaks at the 11th General Meeting of the UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP), held at the National Archives of Indonesia in Jakarta on the 4th (local time).

The UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) held its 11th General Meeting at the National Archives of Indonesia in Jakarta on November 4 (local time), where presentations were given on documentary heritage nominated for inscription.

Suunjabbang and Eumsikdimibang were introduced by Maika Vandendriessche, MOWCAP coordinator at the Office of Korean Studies Resources at the Advanced Center for Korean Studies. She said the two books are among the oldest surviving privately held records related to Korean food culture. They document how men and women passed culinary knowledge down across generations and complemented each other’s contributions. They also record how knowledge of distilled spirits became localized in Joseon society.

Suunjabbang was written by Kim Yu in the 16th century and supplemented by Kim Ryeong. It was passed down in the Gwangsan Kim clan for more than 400 years and was designated a Treasure in 2021. Its structure helped preserve the book in its original form: Kim Ryeong inserted blank pages between Kim Yu’s original text and the material he added. The Advanced Center for Korean Studies now preserves and studies it.

Eumsikdimibang was written in Hangul by Jang Gyehyang in the 17th century. It is the oldest surviving Korean cookbook known to have been written by a woman. Writing it in Hangul made culinary knowledge more accessible to women within the household. Maika said, “Jang Gyehyang’s instruction to her female descendants to preserve the original while also making copies shows a remarkable awareness of the importance of preserving records.” The original has been preserved at Kyungpook National University Library since the 1960s.

The two books’ historical significance lies in the process of localization. After distillation techniques spread across Eurasia during the Mongol Empire, different kinds of distilled spirits developed throughout Asia. Korea’s soju was one of them. Maika said, “The two books are rare evidence showing the people, places and periods involved in the development of distillation knowledge over more than a century within a local community.”

Maica Vandendriessche, the MOWCAP coordinator at the Office of Korean Studies Resources of the Advanced Center for Korean Studies, speaks at the 11th General Meeting of the UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) at the National Archives of Indonesia in Jakarta on the 4th (local time).

She also cited cooperation between men and women as another source of the books’ value. In Joseon, culinary knowledge was transmitted mainly by word of mouth within the home, and women were central to its transmission. Kim Yu recorded in Suunjabbang practical knowledge rooted in the customs of the local community. More than a century later, Jang Gyehyang drew on that knowledge to add three new kinds of distilled spirits and more detailed distillation techniques to Eumsikdimibang. Maika said, “The two books share the same or closely related recipes for six alcoholic beverages and one dish,” describing them as “a distinctive culinary lineage shaped by the complementary contributions of men and women.”

She said the originals are kept in climate-controlled storage, where their condition is assessed regularly and access is restricted, while digital copies help improve accessibility. The books are also being shared with the public through exhibitions in Korea and abroad, academic programs, food experiences and cultural events. Maika emphasized that “a variety of events continue to create cultural, educational and economic value for contemporary society.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.