Two Joseon-era North Gyeongsang cookbooks inscribed on UNESCO Asia-Pacific Memory of the World register

Suunjapbang (left) and Eumsik dimibang, two Joseon-era cookbooks from North Gyeongsang Province inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Asia-Pacific register. [Andong City]

Two Joseon-era culinary manuscripts documenting the food culture of North Gyeongsang Province — Suunjapbang and Eumsik dimibang — have been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Asia-Pacific register.

North Gyeongsang Province and Andong city said Friday that the inscription was confirmed at the 11th General Assembly of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP), which opened Tuesday in Jakarta, Indonesia.

With the addition, North Gyeongsang Province now holds four Asia-Pacific Memory of the World inscriptions, following "Korean Hyeonpan" (2016), "Maninso" (2018) and "Naebang Gasa" (2022).

Suunjapbang is a record of traditional recipes passed down through the Gwangsan Kim clan of Yean, Andong, compiled by Kim Yu and his grandson Kim Ryeong.

Covering 121 items — including alcoholic beverages, vinegar, kimchi, fermented sauces and confections — it is regarded as the earliest cookbook used among ordinary households and the oldest to survive in its complete form.

Eumsik dimibang is the oldest surviving cookbook written entirely in hangul, authored by Jang Gye-hyang, wife of Yi Si-myeong of the Jaeryeong Yi clan.

It contains 146 items covering noodles and rice cakes, fish and meat dishes, alcoholic beverages and vinegar-making methods, with 50 entries devoted to brewing alone.

The two works are considered historically and culturally significant because they document the diet and food culture of northern North Gyeongsang Province during the Joseon era — one written in classical Chinese by a male aristocrat, the other in hangul by a yangban woman.

North Gyeongsang Province and Andong city plan to use the inscription as an opportunity to promote the history and culture embedded in the traditional recipes both at home and abroad, and to leverage them as a foundation for spreading Korean food culture globally.

Meanwhile, a North Gyeongsang Province delegation led by Administrative Vice Governor Hwang Myeong-seok also used the trip to strengthen ties with West Java Province and the local Korean community in Indonesia.

The delegation met West Java Deputy Governor Erwan Setiawan on Wednesday to discuss expanding exchanges — previously limited to sports and people-to-people ties — into culture, tourism, and economic and industrial cooperation.

The delegation also expressed gratitude to the Korean community in Indonesia for donating 1.47 billion rupiah (about 127 million won, or $94,700) during last year's large wildfires in North Gyeongsang Province.

On Thursday, the delegation presented certificates of appreciation to the Daegu-North Gyeongsang Association in Indonesia, the Korean Association and the Korean Chamber of Commerce, and discussed ways to support North Gyeongsang businesses entering the Indonesian market and to deepen economic cooperation.

"This inscription recognizes North Gyeongsang Province as a hub not only in world heritage but also in documentary heritage," North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo said. "We will enhance the value of North Gyeongsang's cultural brand and lead Korean culture forward through the systematic preservation, management and utilization of our documentary and world heritage assets."

kbj7653@heraldcorp.com