Ssamchae
/ˈsɑːm.tʃeɪ/noun
A Korean term for leafy vegetables eaten as wraps for rice, meat, or other fillings.
Did you know?Ssamchae combines native Korean ssam, “a wrapped bite,” with chae, the Sino-Korean word for “vegetable,” showing how Korean food vocabulary blends different linguistic layers.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Korean
Korean
싸다 (ssada)
“To wrap, enclose, or bundle”
Middle Korean
Korean
쌈 (ssam)
“A wrapped food or bite enclosed in a leaf”
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
菜 (cài)
“Edible plant or vegetable”
Korean literary tradition
Sino-Korean
채 (chae)
“Vegetable, borrowed from Chinese 菜”
Modern Korean
Korean
쌈채 (ssamchae)
“Leafy vegetable used for making ssam”
Modern English culinary usage
English
ssamchae
“A Korean culinary term for vegetables served as wrapping leaves”