Northern Song Chinese scholar Wu Ji (?–1142) described Goryeo Koreans seasoning nokpo (녹포, 鹿脯, dried venison) with cinnamon.[7]
InJoseon Korea, po made in governmental offices was called gwanpo (관포, 官脯, "governmental po").[8] Among them, large pyeonpo that was made in Bongsangsi (Office of Sacrificial Rites) for jehang (governmental jesa) was called jopo (조포, 造脯).[9]Geonpo used for jehyang was called jungpo (중포, 中脯).[10]AtKorean New Year, it was common for provincial officials to send pochok (포촉, 脯燭, "po and candles") to their relatives and officials in the central government.[11] Extravagant banquets were referred to as yuk-san-po-rim (육산포림, 肉山脯林), literally meaning "po mountains, meat forests".[12] Beef po was also often used to make upo-dasik (우포다식, 牛脯茶食), a kind of dasik (tea food).[13] The 18th-century book Sasojeol (Elementary Matters of Etiquette for Scholar Families), which was written by the Joseon scholar Yi Deok-mu (1741–1793), states; "Do not frequently smell fish or seafood po{{{1}}}".[14]Cheolli-po (천리포, 千里脯, "thousand-ripo"), made from meats marinated for a day in wine, vinegar, and salt, was prepared for long journeys.[15] (1ri is around 393 m (1,289 ft), and 1,000 ri is 393 km (244 mi).)
Meat or fish that is thinly sliced and dried is usually called geonpo (건포, 乾脯), while meat that is pounded flat and dried is called pyeonpo (편포, 片脯). Dried meat in general can be referred to as poyuk (포육, 脯肉), with the letter yuk (육, 肉) meaning "meat", while the differently ordered compound yukpo육포肉脯) refers to dried beef slices.[1][2] Dried fish is called eopo (어포, 魚脯) with the letter eo어魚) meaning "fish".[1]
When the meat is seasoned with salt and pepper, it is called yeompo (염포, 鹽脯), while the dried meats seasoned or marinated with soy sauce-based seasonings are called jangpo (장포, 醬脯), pyeonpo (편포, 片脯), sanpo (산포, 散脯), or yakpo (약포, 藥脯), according to the methods.[16]
Baepo (배포, 焙脯) – thinly sliced beef or pork, seasoned and dried on baerong (배롱, 焙籠) on fire
Jangpo (장포, 醬脯) – seasoned with aged soy sauce, massaged, and dried
Jangpo (장포, 醬脯) – thick slices of lean meat is repeatedly grilled to sear skin, beaten with bats, and seasoned with aged soy sauce, until thoroughly cooked
Pyeonpo (편포, 片脯) – meat is pounded flat with knife, and dried
Sanpo (산포, 散脯) – meat sliced into pieces and sun-dried
Yakpo (약포, 藥脯) – meat is thinly sliced, seasoned with soy sauce, oil, sugar, and pepper, massaged, and dried on sokuri
Po made from various meats, fish, and seafood are eaten as snack food, banchan (food accompanying bap) or anju (food accompanying sul).[1][2] Salted and dried meat po are eaten as po-jaban (포자반), a salty banchan.[17] Crab and other seafood po are beaten, puffed, seasoned with soy sauce and oil, and eaten as muchim.[18] Fish po are seasoned with soy sauce or gochujang and are grilled as gui.[19]
Po are one of the foods prepared for traditional occasions such as pyebaek (formal greetings from the newlyweds after the wedding ceremony) and jesa (ancestral rite).[3][4]Po and sikhye (rice punch) used for jesa is called pohye (포혜, 脯醯).[20] Often, po is put on the left side of the jesasang (table for ancestral rites) and sikhye is put on the right; this is referred to as jwa-po-u-hye (좌포우혜, 左脯右醯), literally meaning "left po, right sikhye".[21] Another related term is ju-gwa-po-hye (주과포혜, 酒果脯醯), literally meaning "wine, fruit, po, sikhye", which refers to simple offerings for jesa.[22]
