Yukpo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Yukpo

Hanu-yukpo (dried Korean beef)
Type	Po Dried meat
Place of origin	Korea
Associated national cuisine	Korean cuisine
Main ingredients	Beef
Similar dishes	Beef jerky

Yukpo (Korean: 육포) is a popular traditional Korean food. It is a type of dried meat made from beef. Think of it like a Korean version of beef jerky!

People in Korea enjoy yukpo in many ways. It can be a tasty snack to munch on. It's also often served as banchan, which are small side dishes that come with a main meal like rice. Sometimes, it's eaten as anju, a food that goes well with drinks. Yukpo is also an important food for special family events, like traditional wedding greetings called pyebaek or ceremonies to honor ancestors, known as jesa.

What Does "Yukpo" Mean?

The name yukpo (육포) comes from two Korean words. The first part, yuk (육), means "meat." The second part, po (포), means "dried meat or fish."

In Korean cooking, when you just say "meat" (gogi or yuk), it usually means beef. That's why dishes like yukpo and bulgogi use the general word for "meat" instead of specifically saying "cow meat."

Different Kinds of Yukpo

There are several ways to prepare yukpo, giving it different names and textures.

• When beef is sliced very thin and dried, it's often called geonpo (건포).
• If the meat is pounded flat before drying, it's known as pyeonpo (편포).
• Yukpo seasoned mainly with salt and pepper is called yeompo (염포).
• If the beef is marinated or seasoned with soy sauce, it can be called jangpo (장포), sanpo (산포), or yakpo (약포), depending on how it's made.

Here are a few more types:

• Baepo (배포) – Thin slices of beef or pork are seasoned and dried over a fire.
• Jangpo (장포) – Thick slices of lean meat are grilled, beaten, and seasoned with aged soy sauce until fully cooked.
• Pyeonpo (편포) – Beef is pounded flat with a knife and then dried.
  • Daechu-pyeonpo (대추편포) – This pounded beef is shaped like a jujube fruit.
• Yakpo (약포) – Meat is thinly sliced, seasoned with soy sauce, oil, sugar, and pepper, then dried.

How People Enjoy Yukpo

Yukpo is a very versatile food in Korea. It's a popular snack that you can just grab and eat. It's also a common banchan, a small side dish served with rice at meals. When people have drinks, yukpo is often served as anju.

A salty version of dried yukpo, called po-jaban (포자반), is also enjoyed as a savory banchan. Beyond everyday meals, yukpo plays a special role in Korean traditions. It's one of the important foods prepared for pyebaek (wedding greetings) and jesa (ancestral rites).