Gimbap (), also romanized as kimbap, is a Korean dish made from cooked rice and ingredients such as vegetables, fish, and meats that are rolled in gim (김)—dried sheets of seaweed—and served in bite-sized slices. The origins of gimbap are debated. Some sources suggest it originates from Japanese norimaki, introduced during Japanese colonial rule, while others argue it is a modernized version of bokssam from the Joseon era. Regardless, it has since become a distinct dish. The dish is often part of a packed meal, or dosirak, to be eaten at picnics and outdoor events, and can serve as a light lunch along with danmuji (yellow pickled radish) and kimchi. It is a popular take-out food in South Korea and abroad and is known as a convenient food because of its portability. Etymology Gim () refers to edible seaweed in the genus Porphyra and Pyropia. Bap () broadly refers to cooked rice. The compound term gimbap is a neologism; it was not a part of the Korean language until the modern era. A similar dish, cooked rice rolled with gim, was called bokssam () in the Joseon era (1392–1897). The term gimbap was used in a 1935 Korean newspaper article but at the time, the loanword norimaki was used as well. Norimaki, borrowed from the name of a similar Japanese dish, was part of the Japanese vocabulary that entered into the Korean language during Japanese occupation (1910–1945). The two words were used interchangeably until gimbap was made the universal term, as part of efforts to clear away remnants of Japanese colonialism and purify the Korean language. History The origins of gimbap are debated. A Japanese theory suggests that the dish is derived from the introduction of the Japanese sushi variant makizushi to Korea during the Japanese occupation of Korea. During that period, Korean cuisine adopted Western food and drink, as well as some Japanese food items such as bento (dosirak in Korean) or sushi rolled in sheets of seaweed. Since then, gimbap has become a distinct dish, often utilizing traditional Korean flavors, as well as sesame oil, instead of rice vinegar. This theory is supported by a newspaper from 1935, in which the term gimbap first appeared in Korea. An alternative theory, suggested in the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, published by the Academy of Korean Studies, is that the food was developed from the long-established local tradition of rolling bap