The traditional temple cuisine representing Korea’s unique Buddhist culture has been designated as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The National Heritage Agency announced on the 19th that temple cuisine has been newly designated as a national intangible cultural heritage, encompassing the everyday meals of monks and traditional dining methods such as “balwoo gongyang” (monastic meals in temples).
Due to the variety in cooking methods across different temples and the collective transmission involving all the members of a temple, temple cuisine is designated as a “community category” that does not recognize any specific holders or organizations.
Temple cuisine is a vegetarian practice based on Buddhist philosophies, prepared without meat, fish, or the five pungent vegetables (garlic, green onion, chives, wild chives, and hinkgeor). Historical records related to temple cuisine can be found in various documents from the Goryeo period’s “Dongguk Yisang-gukjip” and “Mok-eun Si-go” to the Joseon period’s “Muk-jae Ilgi,” indicating its long history.
The National Heritage Agency explained that temple cuisine has been recognized for its heritage value, considering that it has continued since the introduction of Buddhism to Korea, reflected the unique food culture characteristic of Buddhism, and stands differentiated from temple cuisines of other countries.
A representative of the National Heritage Agency stated, “We will actively support academic research and programs for the promotion of temple cuisine,” adding, “We will continue to expand the designation of new items as national intangible cultural heritage and strive to preserve our traditional culture for future generations.”