What Does Gosohan Mat Mean in Korean Sool?

If someone told you that white rice, sesame, cheesy instant noodles, and Korean sool all share a flavor, what would come to mind?

Korean has a term for the quality found in all these seemingly unrelated foods and drinks: 고소한 맛 (gosohan mat).

The native Korean word gosohada has no corresponding Hanja and no exact English equivalent. In the Chinese version of this article, I playfully call it 「告訴的味」 because 告訴 sounds like gosohada. The joke does not translate, but the flavor itself is just as hard to pin down.

If you have studied Korean or lived in Korea, you may have heard people use gosohan mat to describe sesame, nuts, or even instant noodles topped with cheese.

Interestingly, the expression is not limited to food. It can also describe Korean sool.

Alongside more familiar qualities such as acidity, sweetness, and bitterness, gosohan mat sometimes appears in Korean tasting vocabulary. Unlike those other tastes, however, it is not immediately easy to understand.

Imagine a sommelier placing two Korean drinks in front of you and asking which has more gosohan mat. If cheesy noodles are the first thing you picture, you may have no idea where to begin.

The most typical examples of gosohan mat are the aroma and flavor of toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, and nuts. The sensation includes not only what the tongue tastes but also what the nose smells.

In Korean perceptions of flavor, however, gosohan mat is not confined to sesame and nuts. Cheese, coffee, and even rice can have a similar quality.

Rice is what connects the expression to Korean sool.

Cooked rice gives off a distinctive aroma that you can also perceive as you eat it. When rice is used to make alcohol, similar grain flavors can carry into the drink. Koreans therefore use gosohan mat to describe some rice-based drinks as well.

Even knowing that the term can describe sesame, nuts, rice, and Korean sool does not mean you will immediately recognize the flavor.

Words for flavor and aroma like this often make sense only gradually, through tasting and comparison.

The next time someone says a Korean drink has gosohan mat, try looking for aromas reminiscent of cooked rice, grain, or nuts.

As you gain more tasting experience, you may slowly understand why Koreans can use the same expression for a bowl of white rice, cheesy instant noodles, and a glass of Korean sool.