Dosirak
The Korean packed lunch with a history of mixing flavors and memories.
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Dosirak is a Korean term for a packed meal, often eaten for lunch, that typically contains rice and several side dishes called banchan.[1] Containers for these packed meals, which are also referred to as dosirak or dosirak-tong, are frequently constructed from plastic or thermo-steel and may include separate sections or stacked levels.[1]
Key facts and history
The word dosirak comes from the Early Modern Korean word 도슭, with records from the 18th century showing variations like 밥고리 and 밥동고리.[2] During the Joseon era, peasants and soldiers carried lunch in simple woven bamboo or wood boxes called tumak.[3] After the Korean War, cheap tin lunchboxes made from scrap metal were used due to scarce raw materials.[4] Students would carry these simple aluminum boxes without dividers, causing the food to jumble together during travel.[4]
As Korea became more prosperous, dosirak fell out of favor among affluent workers who could afford to eat out.[5] The Japanese colonial period, spanning 1910 to 1945, is when the contemporary version of dosirak was first brought into Korea.[6] To keep their meals warm until the midday break, schoolchildren in colder months would set their dosirak containers atop radiators.[4] Around the start of the 2000s, the vintage aluminum dosirak saw a resurgence in popularity, driven by a sense of nostalgic comfort associated with it.[7]
What the cited sources add
A 2017 article from 전북대학교 신문방송사 notes that mass production of aluminum dosirak began in the early 1900s, and students carried two aluminum dosiraks for lunch and dinner.[8] The same source states that many BBQ restaurants and pubs now serve "old style dosirak" in aluminum cases with fried egg, sausages, kimchi, and sesame oil.[8] According to a 2015 article in The Korea Herald, the Korean lunch box market was valued at around 2.5 trillion won ($2.22 billion).[9] The Korea Herald also reports that a dosirak with nine different side dishes became the best-selling product just three days after its release.[9]
A 2017 GOOD magazine article describes dosirak as being shaken and eaten as a mixed-up meal, similar to shaken bibimbap.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Dosirak" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "dosirak", Standard Korean Language Dictionary; "What the world eats for lunch", The Daily Meal, 24 September 2012; Hong, "Local specialties take train travel to a new level", Korea JoongAng Daily, 17 February 2016; Park, "Convenience stores vie for lunch box market", The Korea Herald, 15 October 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Dosirak" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: National Hangeul Museum (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Dosirak" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chanhap", Korea Heritage Fund; Dutta, "Discover the Deliciousness of 'Dosirak': The Korean Lunch Box", Rolling Stone, 2 June 2023; Song, "Eat like Joseon royals and get it to go", The Korea Herald, 27 August 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Dosirak" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Dosirak, the Box of Love", 전북대학교 신문방송사, 28 April 2017 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Dosirak" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McPherson, "Dosirak – Just Don't Call It a Bento Box!", ZenKimchi, 4 July 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Dosirak" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Levinson, "Encyclopedia of Modern Asia: China-India relations to Hyogo", Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Dosirak" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "DOSIRAK – THE KOREAN SHAKEN RICE VERSION!", Wandercooks, 19 February 2025; Yzola, "This classic Korean lunch box is meant to be shaken", Business Insider, 4 January 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Dosirak, the Box of Love", 전북대학교 신문방송사, 28 April 2017. facts only, no text reused. jbpresscenter.com
- Park, "Convenience stores vie for lunch box market", The Korea Herald, 15 October 2015. facts only, no text reused. koreaherald.com
- Williams, "5 Best Lunches In the World", GOOD magazine, 30 March 2017. facts only, no text reused. food.good.is
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Dosirak (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Dosirak (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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