Ssambap
/ˈs͈am.bap/noun
A Korean dish of rice wrapped in leafy vegetables, often with meat, vegetables, or seasoned paste.
Did you know?In Korean food culture, ssambap is commonly assembled at the table, where diners wrap rice and fillings in leaves before eating each bite by hand.
Etymological Timeline
Early Korean
Korean
ssam
“A wrap or something folded around food; related to the verb ssamda, “to wrap.””
Middle Korean, 15th Century
Middle Korean
pap
“Cooked grain or rice; an early form of modern Korean bap.”
Modern Korean
Korean
ssambap (쌈밥)
“Rice served wrapped in leaves, usually with accompanying fillings or sauces.”
20th Century
English
ssambap
“A Korean culinary term adopted in English-language menus and food writing.”
Modern English
English
ssambap
“A Korean rice-and-leaf-wrap dish.”