Bossam

---

title: "Bossam" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["korean-pork-dishes"] description: "Korean boiled pork wraps" topic_path: "geography/korea" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bossam" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Korean boiled pork wraps ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox food"]

Field	Value
name	Bossam
image	KOCIS BOSSAM, napa wraps with pork (4618280268).jpg
country	Korea
national_cuisine	Korean cuisine
main_ingredient	Pork shoulder, belly, or hand
module	{{Infobox Korean name/auto
child	yes
hangul	보쌈
hanja	褓쌈
ipa
::

| name = Bossam | image = KOCIS BOSSAM, napa wraps with pork (4618280268).jpg | caption = | alternate_name = | country = Korea | region = | national_cuisine = Korean cuisine | creator = | year = | mintime = | maxtime = | type = | course = | served = | main_ingredient = Pork shoulder, belly, or hand | minor_ingredient = | variations = | serving_size = | calories = | protein = | fat = | carbohydrate = | glycemic_index = | similar_dish = | other = | module = {{Infobox Korean name/auto | child = yes | hangul = 보쌈 | hanja = 褓쌈 | ipa = Bossam () is a pork dish in Korean cuisine. It usually consists of pork belly that is boiled in spices and thinly sliced. The meat is served with side dishes such as spicy radish salad, sliced raw garlic, ssamjang (wrap sauce), saeu-jeot (salted shrimp), kimchi, and ssam (wrap) vegetables such as lettuce, kkaennip (perilla leaves), and inner leaves of a napa cabbage.

Bossam is a popular dish in South Korea, often served as anju (i.e. food accompanying alcoholic drinks). To eat, the meat and side dishes are wrapped together in ssam vegetables, hence the literal meaning of bossam: "wrapped" or "packaged".

History

Bossam is traditionally linked with the process of gimjang, during which large quantities of kimchi are prepared for winters. To ensure the commitment of the workers during this labor-intensive process, yangban (scholar-gentry of the Joseon era) would deliver a pig for a feast. The workers would enjoy boiled pork with some of their newly made kimchi, which, being early in the fermentation process, was a fresh and crispy complement to the soft pork of bossam.

Preparation

Although beef can also be used, pork is preferred for bossam. In the case of pork, pork neck is less fat and lighter than pork belly, so it is better to make bossam. The meat is tied with kitchen twine to hold its shape, and boiled in a broth that contains star anise, ginger, white part and root of scallion, garlic, doenjang (soybean paste), coffee powder, tea leaves, and so on, to reduce the gaminess. When cooked, it is rinsed with cold water, untied, and pressed lightly in a cotton cloth to maintain its shape. When cooled, the meat is sliced into pieces of about 0.3 cm and served with varieties of side dishes, typically including spicy radish salad similar to the kimchi filling, inner leaves of napa cabbages, and freshly made baechu-kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi).

If the meat is served with fresh raw oyster, the dish is called gul-bossam (굴보쌈; "oyster bossam").

Gallery

Korea-Gangneung-Suyuk-Steamed pork-01.jpg 2015년 11월 강원도 동해시 마당쇠보쌈 20151108 DSC04851.JPG Korean cuisine-Bossam-01.jpg File:Bossam and jokbal.jpg|With jokbal KOCIS BOSSAM, napa wraps with pork (4617666185).jpg|Gul-bossam (bossam with oysters) Napa Wraps with Pork.jpg|Bossam table with banchan (side dishes)

References

References

1. Sifton, Sam. (12 January 2012). "The Bo Ssam Miracle". [[The New York Times]].
2. (October 2023). "bossam".
3. Jung, Alex. (11 November 2011). "5 Korean ways to eat a pig". [[CNN]].
4. Lee, Cecilia Hae-Jin. (29 April 2015). "Koreatown's Mr. Bossam serves bossam -- and spicy ribs with cheesy corn". [[Los Angeles Times]].
5. (28 November 2011). "Jongno 3(sam)-ga`s Gul Bossam Alley". [[Seoul Metropolitan Government]].
6. "bossam". [[Doosan Corporation]].
7. link

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