Four daily meals were served to the King. Before 7:00 AM, chojobansang (a breakfast composed of porridge and dried side dishes) was served when the King did not have to have a medical decoction. Breakfast and dinner were served on three tables, wonban (the main table containing white rice, seaweed soup, stew, a steamed dish, kimchi and 12 side dishes: gyeotban (a side table containing rice with red bean, casserole, empty bowls, and a tea cup) and jeongolsang (a side table containing jeongol [casserole], meat, sesame oil, egg, and vegetables). Lunch or a meal with a visiting guest was served with noodles. Banquet meals were served on congratulatory occasions like the birthday of the King or Queen or the designation of the Crown Prince, or for greeting a foreign royal envoy.
During the Joseon Period, the main meals served at the Royal Palace were porridge, starch porridge, noodles and dumplings, in addition to cooked rice. Side dishes served were broth, a steamed dish, steamed vegetables, casserole, stir-fries, a grilled dish, meat skewers, pan-fries, boiled meat slices, boiled and fresh vegetables, mustard-seasoned vegetable, gujeolpan (a platter of nine delicacies), braised abalones, braised mussels, jangnajorigae, beef jerky, jokpyeon (ox foot jelly), beef tartare, sliced raw fish, parboiled sliced fish, leaf wraps, parboiled fish with vegetables, kimchi, and soy sauce. An assortment of rice cakes, honeyed juice mixed with fruits as a punch and processed fruits were also served, chestnuts, jujubes, yullan (chestnut balls), joran (jujube balls), and gangnan (ginger balls).
Literature concerning the Royal Palace cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty includes Gyeongguk daejeon (National Code), Joseon wangjo sillok (Annals of the Joseon Dynasty), Jinyeon uigwe (Royal Protocol of the Royal Banquets), Jinjak uigwe (Royal Protocol of the Conduct of Banquets), and Gungjung eumsik balgi (List of the Royal Cuisine).
The Joseon Dynasty came to an end in 1910, and Korean cuisine culture has changed drastically with the passage of time. Royal Palace cuisine has been designated as important intangible cultural heritage in an effort to preserve the country’s cuisine culture tradition.