According to arecent analysis, sushi is the most popular food on Instagram (the world over) and it’s easy to see why. But due to our familiarity with sushi, a first look at kimbap and you’ll probably see it as a slightly different looking type of sushi — but this isn’t the case — kimbap has its own identity! And if you love eating sushi, but raw fish sushi isn’t your favourite, kimbap might just be your new best friend…
What is kimbap?
The name kimbap (gimbap) translates as seaweed (kim) and rice (bap). You might also hear kimbap being called ‘Korean sushi’ due to the similarity in appearance, but it’s a shame to call kimbap this, as kimbap has its own distinctiveness. Plus, there is a debate about what was invented first: sushi or kimbap (we won’t get involved).
Types of kimbap
There are three main types of kimbap:
- Traditional kimbap — made with rice, seaweed and filling.
- Nude or French kimbap — with seaweed on the inside and rice on the outside.
- Samgak kimbap — a cute and handy triangle-shaped kimbap which is sold in convenience shops in South Korea, covered in a plastic wrapper. Samgak kimbap wasn’t introduced until the early 90s (inspired by Japanese rice balls) but it is filled with Korean delicacies like kimchi, bulgogi and bibimbap.
Within these three types of kimbap you have endless styles such as:
Mayak kimbap – this is the most popular variety of kimbap. This mini kimbap is like the traditional kimbap, with all the usual fillings (rice and pickled veg wrapped in seaweed) but it’s never sliced. So it remains in a long roll (but mini in size). They are served as little stacks of cylinder rolls with dips such as soy sauce and mustard. Heaven on a plate.
Chamchi kimbap — this variety of kimbap has lots of filling (tuna) and less rice wrapped in seaweed, making them substantial circles of filling. As well as the tuna, they may also include vegetables (fresh or pickled), eggs and fish cakes.
Chungmu kimbap – this kimbap is made with only rice as the filler ingredient, wrapped in seaweed. That makes these rolls thin and cylindrical. They are served with spicy squid and radish salad to add flavour.
What is the difference between sushi and kimbap?
Sushi usually features raw fish, seafood, vegetables and rice seasoned with sushi vinegar. The name ‘sushi’ refers to this vinegared rice. Whereas, kimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and doesn’t contain raw fish. Instead, kimbap fillings include meats like grilled bulgogi, or cheese, kimchi, ham and eggs. No wasabi or soy sauce is used with kimbap; kimbap is served with pickled vegetables and kimchi. In Korea, kimbap just refers to rice rolled in seaweed. In Japan, sushi can include numerous dishes that use vinegared rice.
Type of rice
Both sushi and kimbap use cooked, short-grain white rice, just seasoned differently. We commonly know this sticky rice as sushi rice. Kimbap has a slightly sweeter taste compared with sushi due to the kimbap rice being seasoned with sesame oil and the sushi rice seasoned with vinegar. But Korean kimbap can also use brown rice, black rice and quinoa — all great for upping the nutritional value.
Type of fillings
As sushi often contains raw fish, it must be eaten fresh, whereas kimbap will keep longer due to the different types of fillings. The common kimbap doesn’t contain any raw fish, but contains protein in the form of imitation crab meat, processed luncheon meat, beef, eggs and fishcake. Kimbap also includes vegetables such as pickled radish, spinach and carrot. However, Koreans love to add other ingredients to kimbap such as kimchi, ham, cheese and Korean BBQ. Kimbap uses more common ingredients so it can be seen as more accessible and less expensive when compared to sushi.
Similarities between kimbap and sushi
There are of course a few similarities. Kimbap and sushi both use nori sheets to wrap up the rice and fillings (the seaweed on kimbap is often brushed with sesame oil, whereas sushi seaweed is kept plain). Both kimbap and sushi use cooked short-grain rice and both are rolled using a bamboo mat. They also both have a large number of variations to choose from!
Kimbap and sushi taste equally delectable and uniquely different. We are just so glad that both sushi and kimbap exist and we hope that you relish in their differences.
FAQs
Sushi usually features raw fish, seafood, vegetables and rice seasoned with sushi vinegar. The name 'sushi' refers to this vinegared rice. Whereas, kimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and doesn't contain raw fish. Instead, kimbap fillings include meats like grilled bulgogi, or cheese, kimchi, ham and eggs.
What makes kimbap different from sushi? ›
Ingredients: Kimbap is stuffed with cooked meats and pickled vegetables. Sushi is usually filled with raw seafood and vegetables and is often topped with roe. Flavor: The rice in kimbap is mixed with sesame oil, giving it a sweeter taste. Sushi rice is seasoned with vinegar, making it more acidic.
Do you eat kimbap hot or cold? ›
Should kimbap be eaten hot or cold? Kimbap are usually eaten at room temperature or warm. They should not be eaten chilled because the rice will become hard. "Kimbap" literally translates to "seaweed rice." It's a seaweed roll made with rice and various fillings of veggies and meat/seafood.
What does kimbap usually have in it? ›
There are many potential fillings for kimbap, but the traditional ones are carrots, spinach, danmuji (yellow pickled radish), fried egg, odeng (fish cake) and marinated beef. All the fillings must be prepped separately, whether cooking and seasoning the vegetables or cutting the fried eggs into long strips.
Is kimbap healthy? ›
Kimbap, which contains a variety of ingredients such as rice, vegetables, and protein, has excellent nutritional properties. The ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat is well-balanced, so you can enjoy your meal while feeling satisfied.
Which tastes better sushi or kimbap? ›
Kimbap has a slightly sweeter taste compared with sushi due to the kimbap rice being seasoned with sesame oil and the sushi rice seasoned with vinegar. But Korean kimbap can also use brown rice, black rice and quinoa — all great for upping the nutritional value.
Do you eat kimbap with sauce? ›
In addition to the differences in fillings, the rolls are eaten with different accompaniments; neither soy sauce nor wasabi appears on the kimbap plate. It's usually served with kimchi and pickled vegetables on the side.
What's the difference between bibimbap and kimbap? ›
Bibimbap, a Korean rice dish with gochujang and mixed vegetables, is a very popular dish around the world [20], [21]. Also, kimbap is a Korean dish made from steamed white rice (bap) and various other ingredients, rolled in gim (sheets of dried laver seaweed), and served in bite-size slices.
Should I put kimbap in the fridge? ›
I had leftover kimbap from a beach picnic that I didn't want to throw out. As you might know, it's usually not good the next day. This is partly because once you store it in the fridge, the rice becomes hard, stale, dry, and crunchy.
What is the most popular kimbap? ›
Tuna kimbap and bulgogi kimbap are the popular variations. You can stick to classic fillings like pickled radish, imitation crab, ham, braised burdock root, egg, carrot, fishcake, and cucumber.
Gim (Korean: 김), also romanized as kim, is a generic term for a group of edible seaweeds dried to be used as an ingredient in Korean cuisine, consisting of various species in the genera Pyropia and Porphyra, including P. tenera, P.
What does kimbap mean in English? ›
Gimbap (Korean: 김밥; lit. Gim rice; IPA: [kim. p͈ap̚]), also romanized as kimbap, is a Korean dish made from cooked rice, vegetables, fish, and meat rolled in gim—dried sheets of seaweed—and served in bite-sized slices.
How many pieces are in a serving of kimbap? ›
Cut into 12 pieces and serve.
Do people eat kimbap for breakfast? ›
Korean Egg Roll Kimbap. A delicious savoury egg omelette with ham, garlic chives and carrots wrapped in sesame flavoured rice and seaweed. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack.
What is the difference between Japanese and Korean sushi? ›
One of the most distinctive ingredients of Japanese sushi is the use of ginger and wasabi as condiments. Korean sushi has something similar, but the wasabi is replaced with gochujang hot pepper paste. This fermented sauce gives you a comparable heat level, but it won't clear out your sinuses.
What's the difference between onigiri and kimbap? ›
Samgak kimbap was first introduced from Japan in the 1990s. Some people describe it as Korean onigiri (오니기리), owing to its similarity to the dish; Onigiri is a general term for Japanese rice balls. However, in Korea, samgak kimbap typically refers to the triangle rice ball fully wrapped with dried seaweed.
Is sushi rice different from Korean rice? ›
Mepssal, or uncooked short grain rice, is the kind of rice Koreans use for all their meals. It's also called “sushi rice” in Western grocery stores. It's stickier than long grain rice, and can be found in all Asian grocery stores.
What's the difference between kimbap and sushi on Reddit? ›
Sushi is fish and seasoned rice, sometimes with nori, simple, good. Gimbap is all sorts of random stuff put in a nori wrapper and called "Food". Who puts cheese and seaweed in the same bite? some gimbap even has HAM.
