Ssam literally means "wrap" or "to wrap". They can be made out of anything you can imagine- lettuce, cabbage, seasoned meats, thin rice sheets. Think of Mexican tacos but Korean-style.
Ssam are normally eaten with a variety of stuffings. Some like to eat it with rice or bap(밮?), with meat, chicken or pork and topped with go chu jang sauce (a spicy pepper paste), garlic, onions, kim chee and/or maybe an assortment of veggies. Then, everything is wrapped up in the wrapper of your choice. (Take a look at the photo for an example. I don't own it by the way. I wouldn't think about taking a photo of something this yummy. It'll be gone in seconds. Credit goes to the owner.)
The tricky part is trying to shove it all in your mouth. If you've ever seen Korean dramas or Nichkhun in Mnet Scandal, you'll see how hard it is. If you're not careful, you can easily spill it all over yourself. And if you have a cute dress on, you do not want spicy pepper paste on it. It's best to eat with friends you are comfortable with as they won't mind if you look like a piggy.
If you do happen to eat on a date, it is customary (I believe) to accept a ssam that is wrapped for you. If you can not eat it all in one bite, please do cover your mouth and face away from your date.
I personally only eat it with family. I usually prepare mine using lettuce (Sang chu ssam (상 추 쌈) = lettuce wrap) with thin slices of beef that has been topped with go chu jang or dipped in a sauce made with peanut oil, salt and pepper. If I'm especially hungry, I put in some rice. Either way it's healthy and really delicious! It's perfect for hot summer days. I highly recommend using ice cold red leaf lettuce or romaine lettuce.
Hungry for some right now!
