Dosirak Facts for Kids

This page is about the packed meal. For instant noodles, see Doshirak.

A variety of Dosirak (packed meal)

Quick facts for kids Korean name (South Korea)
Hangul	도시락
Hanja	道食樂
Revised Romanization	dosirak
McCune–Reischauer	tosirak

Korean name (North Korea)
Hangul	곽밥
Hanja	打包
Revised Romanization	gwakbap
McCune–Reischauer	kwakpap

Dosirak (Hangul: 도시락; Hanja: 道食樂), also known as gwakpap (Hangul: 곽밥; Hanja: 打包) refers to a packed meal, often for lunch. It usually consists of bap (밥, cooked rice) and several banchan (side dishes). The lunch boxes, also called dosirak or dosirak-tong (dosirak case), are typically plastic or thermo-steel containers with or without compartments or tiers. Dosirak is often home-made, but is also sold in train stations and convenience stores.

Dosirak in its current iteration was introduced to Korea during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910–1945) by the Japanese who had called their variation of a packed meal as bento (弁当, bentō), itself from the Chinese term biandang (便當, pinyin: biàndāng), which means "convenient" or "convenience". During this period, Korean cuisine adopted foreign cuisines as well as Japanese food items such as bento or sushi rolled in sheets of seaweed, popularized in Korea under the name of gimbap.

Varieties

Home-made dosirak is often packed in tiered lunch boxes that can separate bap (cooked rice) and banchan (side dishes). The guk (soup) tier, if included, is usually kept warm by insulation. Plastic or thermo-steel containers are most common, but combinations of wood and lacquer, ceramics and bamboo, as well as other materials, are also used.

Yennal-dosirak (옛날 도시락; "old-time dosirak") consists of bap (rice), stir-fried kimchi, egg-washed and pan-fried sausages, fried eggs, and shredded gim (seaweed), typically packed in a rectangular lunchbox made of tinplate or German silver. It is shaken with the lid on, thereby mixing the ingredients prior to eating.

Gimbap-dosirak (김밥 도시락; "packed gimbap"), made with sliced gimbap (seaweed rolls), is often packed for picnics.