Our Ssam, Our Way of Wrapping Meaning

Our Ssam, Our Way of Wrapping Meaning

— A story of reinterpretation at Joo052

Ssam is a familiar presence in Korean cuisine.For some, it brings to mind grilled pork belly wrapped in lettuce; for others, a spoonful of rice tucked into a perilla leaf with a dab of doenjang. But one day, we at Joo052 found ourselves asking—what is ssam, really? Is it just a way of combining ingredients, or is the act of wrapping itself imbued with meaning?

As we began to explore, we quickly learned that ssam is much more than a culinary habit.Its roots trace back to ancient rites and agrarian rituals—offerings wrapped in leaves to present to the heavens, wishes for a good harvest wrapped in wild greens, and “bokssam,” a type of auspicious wrap eaten to invite good fortune.

In Korea, ssam was always served first—a way to begin a meal, a season, or a prayer. That spirit stayed with us.

And so we asked: if we were to reinterpret this culture at Joo052, what should our ssam look like? What if it wasn’t just about flavor, but about the meaning carried in the gesture of wrapping and sharing?

Our First Ssam — Eel, Stonecrop, and the Start of a Ritual

The first version of ssam we created at Joo052 centered around eel, a traditional symbol of health and strength.We paired it with cabbage, a house-made ssamjang, and stonecrop (wasong) lovingly sent from the chef’s mother’s home garden.

This wasn’t just about flavor—it was about hand-wrapping and hand-giving.A moment of pause. A gesture of care.A quietly meaningful way to open the meal.

A New World of Leaves — Meeting a Master Grower in Namyangju

Soon after, we began to feel that our ingredients—while thoughtful—were too limited.Standard greens like cabbage or lettuce didn’t offer the aromatic depth or texture diversity we were looking for.We wanted something more expressive.

That search led us to Junhyuk’s Farm, run by master grower Jangwook Lee in Namyangju.From the moment we stepped onto his land, it felt like a garden of possibility.

There were green sorrel, delightfully tart and crisp.Red sorrel, with a deeper, earthier bite.Oyster leaves that tasted of the sea.Purple perilla, mustard-like nasturtium, vivid oxalis—each leaf a different sentence in the language of flavor.

We signed a partnership that very day.

The Second Ssam — Wrapping the Sea and Its Blessings

The next ssam we created took inspiration from an ancient tradition:in Gojoseon, seaweed ssam was offered to sea gods, wishing for safe voyages and calm tides.

At Joo052, we reimagined that in a contemporary form.We placed a delicate seafood meatball made from abalone, mussels, and sea bream atop a layer of green sorrel and oyster leaf.The result was bright, briny, layered—beautiful.

But it was also… a little too much.Too complex, too rich, and too complete to serve as the first course.So again, we returned to the drawing board.

A New Format — Inspired by a Traditional Korean Ham (함)

We asked ourselves: how can we make our ssam more inviting, lighter, but still carry meaning?The answer came from tradition once more.Inspired by Korea’s fold-out ceremonial gift boxes (ham), we designed a presentation that could be opened like a folding screen, revealing a variety of small seasonal leaves laid out for the guest to choose and wrap themselves.

Each leaf was carefully selected—not for visual novelty, but for aromatic elegance, tactile balance, and harmony with our ssamjang.We paired them with lightly cured seafood, elegant and understated.A soft opening to a meal meant to unfold slowly.

Still Wrapping, Still Wondering

Our ssam is not a finished dish—it is a conversation still in progress.We continue to experiment with textures, pairings, and fermentation.We visit farms. We study rituals.We reimagine how a simple wrap can carry layers of memory, blessing, and delight.

Because to us, what makes ssam meaningful is not just what’s inside,but the intention behind the wrap.

And so, at Joo052, we continue to wrap—one leaf at a time.

— With gratitude, from the team at Joo052