Jeonju bibimbap

Bibimbap is essentially a rice salad once prepared by farmers as a way of using leftover food. In Korea you see many different versions of the two classics, hot in an iron pot or cold in a brass or metal pot. In Joenju, the home of bibimbap – where I got to take part in the annual festival celebrating this classic Korean dish –  the latter is the more common, topped with cooked or raw beef, always a beautiful yellow egg yolk, sesame seeds and homemade chilli sauce. It’s the chilli sauce that often gives the bibimbap its own style or character.