Temple Cuisine Allium Prohibition — Osinchae (사찰음식 오신채 금지)

Mahayana Buddhist tradition, particularly in Korean Son (선종, Zen) monasteries; the prohibition has been practised continuously since Buddhism's introduction to Korea in the 4th century CE

Korean Buddhist temple cuisine (사찰음식, sacheol eumsik) operates under the prohibition of five stimulating vegetables known collectively as osinchae (오신채): garlic (마늘), green onion (파), wild chive (달래), chive (부추), and asafoetida (흥거, now largely replaced in Korea by the conceptual category). These five are avoided because Buddhist doctrine holds that they heat the blood when cooked, stimulating desire, and when eaten raw, agitate the mind, obstructing meditation. In their absence, temple cuisine has developed a sophisticated vocabulary of flavour using doenjang, ganjang (soup soy), mushroom stocks, perilla, ginger, sesame, and hing (asafoetida) in small quantities as flavour bridges.

Temple cuisine meals are structured around rice, pickles, doenjang soup, and multiple plant-based namul (seasoned vegetable) dishes. The absence of alliums and meat creates a lightness that is paradoxically deeply satisfying.