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Like many countries in East Asia, traditional South Korean meals predominantly center around a bowl of rice. The significance of rice in Korean food culture cannot be overemphasized or dramatized. Not only is it a daily stable served at most meals, but it is also part of the cultural identity of South Korea stemming from hardships, survival, and social resilience.
If you wish to learn about Korean culture, it is important to know about rice. Here, I will write about ‘mepssal,’ the rice most commonly used at a Korean dinner table. It is used to make dishes famous Korean dishes such as bibimbap (비빔밥), jumeokbap (주먹밥), kimbap (김밥), and more.
Rice Classification (Types of Rice):
Before we learn about rice in South Korea, I want to list the three main classifications of rice.
Generally, you can place different varieties of rice in three different groups:
- Long-grain
- Medium-grain
- Short-grain
These classifications come from the length-to-width ratio when cooked. Further, within these classifications, you also need to pay attention to the levels of starchiness of each variety. The starchiness of a particular variety can affect the texture and flavor when cooked.
Long-Grain Rice:
While it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate between medium and short-grain rice, long-grain rice can easily be recognized because of the lengthy and narrow grains. When cooked, the rice gains a nice fluffy texture. Further, the grains naturally remain separated from one another because of the low starch content.
Examples of Long-Grain Rice: Jasmine rice, Basmati rice, and American Long-grain white or brown rice.
Medium-Grain Rice:
Unlike long-grain rice, medium rice is only 2-to-3 times longer than it is wide. Further, when cooked, the grains become tender and moist from the higher starch content. This starch content also causes the grains to stick together a bit more.
Examples of Medium-Grain Rice: Arborio rice, Valencia rice, Bomba rice, Wuchang rice
Short-Grain Rice:
Finally, short-grain rice is classified by the short grains that are only a bit longer than they are wide. The grains cling together when cooked without becoming mushy or watery. The short-grain varieties have the highest starch content out of the three classifications.
As I stated above, people often do not differentiate between medium and short-grain rice. Most Korean and Japanese Japonica rice varieties belong to the short-grain category. That being said, ‘Japanese-style’ and ‘Korean-style’ rice sold in most Western grocery stores are medium-grain varieties grown in California.
Now that we have classified rice, let’s learn about ‘mepssal’ used in Korean cooking!
What Is Mepssal (멥쌀)?
‘Mepssal’ refers to the kind of rice people in South Korea use for their everyday rice-based meals. In English, people refer to ‘mepssal’ as uncooked, non-glutinous, short-grain rice.
‘Mepssal’ differs from ‘Chapssal’ (찹쌀), which refers to the extremely sticky, short-grain, sweet rice or glutinous short-grain rice. The ‘chapssal’ varieties of rice are often used to make rice cakes or desserts in South Korea.
Mepssal Frequently Asked Questions:
Now that we learned about rice, let’s answer some questions you may have about mepssal in Korean cuisine! If I do not answer your question, feel free to leave a comment in the section below or email me at [email protected].
What Varieties of Rice Should I Buy When Cooking Korean Food?
In South Korea and Japan, people cultivate the short-grained varieties of Japonica rice, which gains a slightly sticky texture when cooked. This is because of the amount of starch naturally present in certain short-grain Japonica varieties. While both countries use the same types of rice, they cultivate and prepare them in vastly different methods resulting in a difference in flavor and texture. If you are interested in learning about the complicated history of South Korean and Japanese relations (specifically about rice), you can read about it here.
Note: Not all Japonica varieties are short-grain. For example, Wuchang rice is a Chinese medium-grain variety of Japonica rice. Calrose is another type of medium-grain Japonica rice developed in 1948 and is now a generic term for California medium-grain Japonicas.
Unfortunately, most Westerners do not know the differences in varieties of rice as they do in many East Asian countries. When buying rice for Korean dishes in Western grocery stores, you need to look for short-grained rice with a higher starch content than long-grain rice. Outside of Korea, I recommend buying ‘Calrose style’ varieties. While not the same, it is consistently available in grocery stores for an affordable price. Not only that, it is a good option for those looking for a decent and consistently delicious bowl of rice.
Note: I do not recommend buying nondescript ‘sushi rice’ in the grocery store. Often, rice labeled as ‘sushi rice’ is not coincidentally the same type of rice from brand to brand. This can alter the cooking times as well as the starchiness and flavor of the rice. Instead, if you do buy ‘sushi rice’ make sure it is of the short-grain Japonica or Calrose varieties.
Where Can I Buy Korean Rice Varieties?
Excitingly, you can buy rice in the majority of well-stocked grocery stores across the United States. If you want a variety of rice brands and types to choose from, I recommend shopping at your local Asian or Korean grocery store (such as H-Mart).
Finally, you can also buy this ingredient online!
How Do I Properly Store Rice?
I recommend storing uncooked rice in an airtight container in a cool and dry place. In my household, we store it in the pantry.
Once cooked, store rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You should consume it within 3 days.
I Hope You Enjoyed Learning About Korean Rice (Mepssal)
In the end, I hope you enjoyed learning about Korean rice known as ‘mepssal.’ I have already cooked with this ingredient often on our blog. In the future, I will cook with it even more.
If you would like to read more about cooking, you can find recipes as well as further Korean ingredient articles on my blog. I listed some of my favorite Carving A Journey recipes below! For reference, many recipes are influenced by my family’s blended Korean and Southern heritage.
Further Carving A Journey Recipes:
If you have any questions or comments, you can also email me at [email protected]. And, finally, I would love to hear from you through our social media as well! You can follow me at @carvingajourney on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I also started a vlog YouTube channel with my husband! Or, if you would like more articles like these, you can subscribe to the blog by joining the mailing list. Once again, I hope you enjoyed learning about Korean rice aka mepssal! Thank you so much for stopping by!
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