From Click Korea’s Food Dictionary, which offers a few different possibilities for the dish’s origin:

Siuijeonseo, a cookbook compiled in the late 1800s, includes the first-ever reference to bibimbap. In these records, bibimbap is also referred to as bubuimbap and goldongban. As gol means ‘disorderly’ and dong means ‘mix,’goldong refers to thoroughly mixing different things together. Therefore, goldongban is a reference to rice combined with various side dishes or ingredients in a bowl.

A few of the theories or stories about the origin of bibimbap include the following. First, is the ‘palace food theory.’ A meal prepared for the king during the Joseon Dynasty was known as sura, while bibim was served as a light meal whenever the king’s relatives visited the palace.

Second, is the ‘meal for peasants during the farming season theory.’ Although peasants would have to eat several daily meals during the farming season, it was difficult to have regular meals in the rice fields. As such, for convenience, the peasants would use a single bowl, in which rice was combined with side dishes.

Third, is the ‘Donghak uprising theory.’ When the Donghak uprising (a revolutionary movement led by peasants to protest the rampant corruption of government officials and the encroachment of foreign powers) broke out in the Gobu area of the Jeolla provinces in 1894, the Donghak peasant rebels were forced to mix their rice together with side dishes because of their lack of bowls and plates.

Lastly, there is the ‘eumbok theory.’Eumbok refers to the tradition of eating the food offerings used during ancestral rites upon the conclusion of the ceremony. In doing so, people would place some of each food item into a bowl and then mix them together before eating.

We like the peasant-related ones the best, especially the idea of eating a hearty bowl of bibimbap after a hard day’s work out in the field.