Similarly, as Buddhism gained prominence in Korea, so did its food culture. Nobles, again, played a crucial role; “Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) states that King Beopheung, the 23rd ruler of Silla, banned killing in 529 AD, and that King Beop, the 29th king of Baekje, banned killing, including the hunting and butchering animals. Through such decrees, vegetarianism was encouraged in the Goryeo Dynasty, helping temple food spread. Zen Buddhism reached the peak of its dissemination in the 9th and 10th centuries, spreading to rural areas like the mountains. During the Joseon Dynasty, an era when Confucianism suppressed Buddhism, the former religion pervaded the lives of the common people. Yet, temple food persevered, having left its mark on Korea’s food culture.
This caused temples to be situated to the mountains. In such regions, supplies and external support were scarce, making the Zen Buddhism lifestyle of frugal self-sufficiency essential for survival. To find the necessary ingredients, practitioners utilized their environment to the fullest extent, even peeling the bark trees to exploit any edible aspects of it. These survival tactics aligned with the principles of practitioners, and this overlap helped temple food develop. Even after times of hardship passed, people continued to retain the spirit of temple food; thus, the principles practiced throughout the daily lives of practitioners became core values.
It should be noted that the persecution of Buddhism in Korea caused the residing monks to develop a temple cuisine deviant from practitioners in South Asia, in spite of the shared religion. Thus, while monks in Korea relied on local ingredients they could find in their mountainous habitat, others had greater access to markets and alms.
Throughout time, cooking became more than simply their practice—rather, it was also a means of ecological sustainability to be shared with the locals.
As a peninsula, Korea was able to enjoy the advantages of seafood while also enjoying the diversity of vegetables nurtured by four distinct seasons. Its thriving agriculture is particularly attributed to the fact that farming had been a fairly early development in Korea, giving time for animals to be domesticated and different grains to be cultivated. In addition to the domestication of crops and animals, both hunting and culinary methods were also in the midst of refinement. For instance, there were more than a hundred ways to categorize beef parts, and cooking methods unique to Korea such as fermentation allowed the invention of kimchi and doenjang. They also discovered how to store food for the winter in a manner that would preserve its nutrients. These aspects of Korean food were also integral to temple food, and today, many temple dishes heavily utilize these seasonings.
Through this observation of past culinary history, it is apparent that temple food dovetails Buddha’s teachings and Korean cuisine. Even today, with the ongoing evolutions in technology, traditional Korean temples still carry on the traditions of agricultural culture.
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