INTERVIEW Ven. Beopsong shares Korean temple cuisine's legacy of simple, seasonal dishes
Ven. Beopsong, the chief Buddhist nun at Yeongseon Temple, demonstrates how to make grilled eggplant from a recipe that was passed down to her by a senior nun, the late Ven. Seongkwan, during an interview with The Korea Times, at the temple in Daejeon on Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBuddhist nun chef explains how temple cuisine is different from vegan food By Park Ji-wonAmid the growing interest in veganism throughout the world and health concerns due to the spread of COVID-19, temple food has recently been getting attention as a healthy food. Both temple food and vegan cuisine are prepared with vegetarian ingredients, but they are quite different when it comes to certain details, especially the use of meat. Few people actually know that the use of meat is allowed in temple food under strict conditions. According to Ven. Beopsong, a Buddhist nun who is an expert of temple cuisine, masters and practitioners of Buddhism (called “suhengja” in Korean) are allowed to eat meat when their lives are at risk. Ven. Beopsong, the chief Buddhist nun at Yeongseon Temple
Aug 27, 2021By Park Ji-won