Korean & Japanese food glossary
What exactly is bibimbap, kimchi, donburi or nigiri? We explain the dishes and terms on our menu – every term on its own page, with an example and a link to the matching dish.
The story behind the names on our menu
Korean and Japanese dishes come with names that are not always self-explanatory. Guests often ask us how maki differ from nigiri, how spicy kimchi really is, or what makes a donburi a donburi. This glossary answers those questions properly – one term at a time, each on its own page.
Every entry covers origins, preparation and variations, and shows with a concrete example how you can try it at our restaurant in Zurich-Oerlikon. Where a dish is on our menu, we link straight to it – with the price from our current menu.
Our food is cooked by a former chef of Globus Bellevue in Zurich.
Every term, sorted by topic
34 terms
Korean cuisine
Dishes, ingredients and terms from Korean cooking – from fermented vegetables to rice bowls and stir-fries.
- BibimbapBibimbab · Bi Bim Bap · 비빔밥Bibimbap is a Korean rice bowl: warm rice topped with separately cooked vegetables, egg, often beef and a sauce, all mixed together before eating.Read more
- BulgogiSo Bulgogi · 불고기Bulgogi is thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce, sugar, garlic and sesame oil, then grilled or pan-fried.Read more
- Gochujang고추장Gochujang is a fermented Korean paste of chilli powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt – spicy, slightly sweet and savoury.Read more
- JapchaeJapche · 잡채Japchae is stir-fried Korean glass noodles made from sweet potato starch, with vegetables and often beef, seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil.Read more
- Jeyuk BokkeumJeyuk Bokkum · 제육볶음Jeyuk bokkeum is spicy marinated, stir-fried Korean pork, often cooked with vegetables and, in one popular version, with kimchi.Read more
- KimchiKimchee · 김치Kimchi is fermented, usually spicy Korean vegetables – most famously napa cabbage – and the base of many Korean dishes.Read more
- Kimchi JjigaeKimchi Jigae · Kimchi Chigae · 김치찌개Kimchi jjigae is a spicy Korean stew made from aged kimchi, usually with pork and tofu, served with rice.Read more
- Korean cuisine한식Korean cuisine (hansik) is built on rice, vegetables, fermentation and seasonings like gochujang – famous for kimchi, bibimbap and bulgogi.Read more
Japanese cuisine
Warm Japanese cooking: noodles, rice bowls, dumplings and the techniques behind them.
- DonburiDon · 丼A Japanese dish of warm rice served in a large bowl and topped with fish, meat, egg or vegetables.Read more
- Edamame枝豆Young soybeans harvested while still green, boiled in the pod, salted and eaten as a snack or starter.Read more
- GyozaGyōza · 餃子 · Yaki-GyozaJapanese dumplings in a thin wheat wrapper, traditionally pan-fried until crisp underneath and steamed soft on top.Read more
- Japanese cuisine和食Japan’s culinary tradition (washoku): rice, fish, vegetables and fermented seasonings, shaped by umami, seasonality and careful presentation.Read more
- MisoMiso shiru · 味噌A fermented Japanese seasoning paste made from soybeans, salt and koji – the base of miso soup and many sauces.Read more
- TatakiTuna Tataki · Katsuo no Tataki · たたきA Japanese preparation in which fish or meat is seared briefly over high heat, left raw in the middle and served sliced.Read more
- Teriyaki照り焼きA Japanese cooking method in which fish or meat is glazed with soy sauce, mirin and sugar while it is pan-fried or grilled.Read more
- Udonうどん · Yaki Udon · Yagi UdonThick, soft noodles made from wheat flour, water and salt – served hot in broth, chilled with a dip or stir-fried.Read more
Sushi & raw fish
Sushi styles and raw fish – what sets nigiri, maki, rolls, sashimi and tartare apart.
- California rollCalifornia MakiThe California roll is an inside-out sushi roll (uramaki), classically filled with avocado, crab or surimi and cucumber, coated with sesame or roe.Read more
- InariInarizushi · Inari Sushi · Inari NigiriInari (inarizushi) is sushi rice in a pouch of fried tofu that has been simmered in a sweet and savoury broth – with no fish at all.Read more
- MakiMakizushi · Norimaki · HosomakiMaki are sushi rolls with a sheet of nori seaweed on the outside, wrapped around rice and filling and cut into bite-sized pieces.Read more
- NigiriNigirizushi · Nigiri Sushi · 握り寿司Nigiri is hand-pressed sushi: a small oblong of vinegared rice topped with fish, seafood or tofu.Read more
- Sashimi刺身Sashimi is thinly sliced raw fish or seafood served without rice – the purest form of Japanese fish cookery.Read more
- Sushi寿司 · すしSushi is vinegared rice paired with fish, seafood, vegetables or tofu – shaped by hand as nigiri or rolled as maki and inside-out rolls.Read more
- Tuna (maguro)Maguro · Tuna Sushi · まぐろMaguro is the Japanese word for tuna, one of the key sushi fish; tekka refers to tuna in rolls, akami and toro to the lean and fatty cuts.Read more
- TobikoTobikko · とびこTobiko is the tiny, crunchy roe of the flying fish, used in sushi mainly as a colourful topping on inside-out rolls.Read more
- UnagiUnagi Sushi · うなぎ · 鰻Unagi is Japanese freshwater eel which, in sushi, is almost always grilled and glazed with a sweet and savoury sauce.Read more
- UramakiUra Maki · 裏巻きUramaki are inside-out sushi rolls: the rice is on the outside and the nori wraps the filling inside – the California and rainbow rolls are famous examples.Read more
- WasabiWasabia japonica · Hon-Wasabi · わさびWasabi is a Japanese plant whose grated rhizome is served as a pungent condiment with sushi and sashimi; most of what is served is a horseradish blend.Read more
Restaurant & service
Everything around your visit: take-away, reservations, lunchtime and events.
- Banchan반찬Banchan are the small side dishes served in many little bowls alongside rice and the main dish in Korean cooking.Read more
- CateringEvent-Catering · Firmencatering · Event cateringCatering means a business prepares food in larger quantities for an occasion – from an office drinks reception to a family party.Read more
- Chef’s choiceChefs ChoiceChef’s choice means the kitchen decides how a dish is prepared and plated.Read more
- HangulHangeul · Hanguel · 한글Hangul is the Korean script: an alphabet whose letters are grouped into syllable blocks.Read more
- OerlikonOerlikon is a district in the north of the city of Zurich (Kreis 11) with a major railway station, the Hallenstadion arena and Messe Zurich.Read more
- Take-awayTakeaway · Take awayTake-away means you order a dish from a restaurant and collect it yourself – no delivery involved.Read more
- Table reservationReservation · Table bookingA table reservation holds a place for you at a restaurant at a set time – it counts once the restaurant has confirmed it.Read more
No term matches your search. Try a different spelling or reset the filters.
Quick answers
What is the Han Kitchen glossary?
A reference guide to Korean and Japanese dishes and food terms. Each term has its own page covering what it is, where it comes from, common variations, a concrete example and – where available – a link to the matching dish on our menu.
Can I eat the dishes explained here at Han Kitchen?
The dishes linked from a glossary page are on our menu – to eat in at Baumackerstrasse 46, 8050 Zurich-Oerlikon, or to take away. We don’t deliver: just call us on 077 268 20 80 or drop by during opening hours.
Is every glossary term on the menu?
Not every one. Some entries explain variations or how a dish differs from related ones, so each page states clearly what we actually serve. We only quote prices for dishes that are genuinely on our menu.
Who cooks at Han Kitchen?
Our food is cooked by a former chef of Globus Bellevue in Zurich.
Feeling hungry? Come and try it.
Our food is cooked by a former chef of Globus Bellevue in Zurich. Book a table or call us for take-away – we don’t deliver, but your food will be ready to collect in no time.