Collectively known as gungjung eumsik during the pre-modern era, the foods of the royal palace reflected the opulent nature of the past rulers of the Korean peninsula.

The opulent nature of the royalty is evidenced in examples as far back as the Silla kingdom, where a man-made lake (Anapji Lake, located in Gyeongju) was created with multiple pavilions and halls for the sole purpose of opulent banquets and a spring-fed channel, Poseokjeong, was created for the singular purpose of setting wine cups afloat during the writing of poems.

[1] Reflecting the regionalism of the kingdoms and bordering countries of the peninsula, the cuisine borrowed from each of these areas to function as a showcase.

Official positions were created within the Six Ministries (Yukjo, 육조) that were charged with all matters related to procurement and consumption of food and drink for the royal court.

The Board of Personnel (Ijo, 이조) contained positions specific for attaining rice for the royal family.

There were also hundreds of slaves and women who worked in the palace that had tasks such as making tofu, liquor, tea, and tteok (rice cakes).

[4] Five meals were generally served in the royal palace each day during the Joseon period, and records suggest this pattern had existed from antiquity.

The first meal, mieumsang (미음상), was served at sunrise on days when the king and queen were not taking herbal medicines.

These women would remove bowl covers and offer the foods to the king and queen after ensuring that the dishes were not poisoned.

The small round table at the lower right corner contains red sura, gomtang or thick meat broth, dessert, tea, empty dishes and bowls.

Seon (선) is steamed vegetables, tofu, and fish stuffed with fillings made with beef or chicken and onions.

Sinseollo (which is a variety of jeongol) is boiled in meat stock with various vegetables and mushrooms in a specific cooking pot with holes.

Namul (나물) are any variety of steamed vegetables seasoned with hot pepper, garlic, green onion, salt, and sesame or perilla oil.

Typical vegetables include spinach, radish, royal fern, bracken, zucchini, green bean sprouts, Korean bellflower, bamboo shoots, etc.

The main ingredients include green laver, beef, the root of deodeok (Codonopsis lanceolata; 더덕), fish, mushrooms, vegetables, Aralia elata sprouts (두릅), etc.