Korean Temple Cooking: Lessons on Life and Buddhism, With Recipes, the Life and Work of Jeongkwan Snim

As featured in Netflix documentary series The Philosopher's Kitchen.

Korean Temple Cooking is a love letter to the poetry of simple, nourishing food. The book chronicles temple life, Buddhism, and living and cooking seasonally and with a spiritual tie to the land through interviews with and recipes from Jeongkwan Snim, dubbed “the Philosopher Chef” by the New York Times.

Jeongkwan Snim was the subject of the opening episode of Netflix’s Chef’s Table Season 3.   

Follow Snim through the seasons at a Korean Buddhist temple and learn to preserve, cook, and savour all that nature has to offer. Recipes are arranged by season, with special extra sections on rice, noodles, tofu, kimchi, seasonings, and more. Essays and interviews give a rare peek into temple life, the history of Buddhism in Korea, its teachings and branches, and even a look at the architecture of the temple and attire worn there. 

An expansive and breathtaking chronicle, Korean Temple Cooking is the coffee table book you’ll want to cook out of all year round. 

Dr. Hoo Nam Seelmann is a journalist and author, born and raised in South Korea. She lives in Switzerland.

Jeongkwan Snim is a Buddhist monk at Korea's Baegyangsa temple. She was profiled as part of Netflix's Chef's Table, season 3 episode 1.

Véronique Hoegger is a Swiss photographer who works in the fields of portraits, reportage, interiors, food still life, and fashion.