Banchan
/ˈbɑːn.tʃɑːn/noun
Any of the small Korean side dishes served with a meal, especially rice.
Did you know?The word combines Sino-Korean 飯, meaning cooked rice or a meal, with 饌, meaning prepared food or dishes; the term reflects rice’s traditional central place in Korean dining.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese
Old Chinese
飯
“Cooked grain or rice; later, a meal”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
飯饌
“Rice or a meal together with prepared dishes”
Middle Korean
Middle Korean
반찬
“Food served with rice”
15th–16th Century
Korean
반찬
“Side dishes accompanying a Korean meal”
20th Century
English
banchan
“Korean side dishes, adopted as a culinary loanword”
Modern English
English
banchan
“Small Korean side dishes served alongside rice and other main foods”