Silent Bowls, Sacred Flavours

In a quiet corner of Busan, Korea where the city seduces with the aroma of street-food, the air holds a different rhythm.

- By KETKI GADRE

Here, wooden tables stand under soft paper lanterns, and steam curls gently from warm bowls of tofu soup. The fragrance is subtle—earthy, slightly sweet, and calming. This is barugongyang, the Zen Buddhist temple meal at Beomeosa, where every bite is meditation of centuries-old ritual. For many Indian visitors, the familiarity is surprising, almost uncanny.

Like the kitchens of India, Korean temple cuisine carries a legacy that stretches back generations. Seasonal vegetables, fragrant wild herbs, fermented pastes, and recipes handed down through monks’ careful stewardship form the backbone of the meal.