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Tag: korean soup culture

  • What Soups Do Koreans Eat in Winter? | Korean Winter Soup Culture

    What Soups Do Koreans Eat in Winter? | Korean Winter Soup Culture

    In Korea, the reason we enjoy warm guk (soup dishes) in winter is to warm our bodies in the cold climate, replenish nutrients, and find psychological comfort through warm food. There are dozens of representative Korean winter soups, but still, at home we make soups using ingredients that are easily available. Also, in the old days, traditional ondol culture and food culture intertwined, so soup culture has continuously developed and continues to this day.

    Emotionally, Koreans maintain and preserve body temperature through winter soup dishes. On cold days, warm broth makes you warm inside, raising your body temperature and giving psychological stability. Through soup dishes, we get nutrition and a sense of fullness. In winter, there’s a food culture of wanting to fill your stomach solidly with warm food, ease the emptiness, and gain energy. For most adults, there’s a soup dish that their mother preferred making at home.

    Korean homes have ondol heating culture. Korea’s traditional ondol culture developed a cooking method using heat from the fire pit, which made soup dishes commonplace in daily life.

    In traditional meaning, eating tteokguk on New Year’s Day and other holidays to wish for longevity and good fortune is one reason, including the tradition of eating seasonal winter foods. Major winter soup dishes include tteokguk, gomtang, galbitang, kimchi-guk, and ugeoji-guk. We spend winter healthily by drinking warm broth and sweating.

    Why Korean Soup Dishes Are So Diverse

    In Korean cuisine, soup dishes occupy an important position, and their types and flavors are very diverse. This diversity has been formed by Korea’s history, geographical characteristics, abundance of ingredients, and cultural factors. Now let’s look in detail at why Korean soup dishes are so diverse.

    Historical Background

    Like food in all countries, Korean soup dishes have a long historical background. Korea was an agricultural-centered society, and we made soup dishes using various ingredients obtained while farming. For example, doenjang-guk and kimchi-jjigae are representative soup dishes utilizing fermented foods. These traditions have been passed down through generations, becoming more diverse and developed. Even in high-class cuisine like Joseon Dynasty royal court cooking, various soup dishes developed. In the palace, they made deeply flavorful soup dishes using various ingredients and cooking methods, and these dishes gradually spread to ordinary households.

    Geographical Characteristics

    Korea has a climate with four distinct seasons, and various ingredients are produced for each season. In spring, fresh ingredients like mountain vegetables; in summer, seafood; in autumn, harvested agricultural products; in winter, stored fermented foods – these are used to create various seasonal soup dishes. For example, in winter, gomtang and seolleongtang are popular for warming the body, while in summer, cold naengmyeon broth is beloved.

    Abundance of Ingredients

    Korean soup dishes use distinctive ingredients by region. In coastal areas, seafood soups like maeuntang and haemultang developed using fresh seafood, while in inland areas, dishes like doenjang-guk and gamjatang developed using ingredients from mountains and fields. This abundance of ingredients makes soup dish diversity even richer.

    Cultural Factors

    In Korean food culture, families gathering together for meals is valued as important. Soup dishes are an element that cannot be missing from these family meals, as they’re suitable for many people to share together. Also, in traditional Korean table settings, soup dishes are basically provided with rice, and this is one reason soup dishes occupy an important position in Korean dietary life. Also, Koreans value health, and soup dishes are a way to consume various healthy ingredients all at once. For example, samgyetang is boiled together with chicken, ginseng, and jujubes, making it highly nutritious and popular as health food.

    Modern Changes

    Unfortunately, in modern times, various ingredients are cultivated regardless of season, and with diverse foods imported from abroad, soup is being somewhat neglected. Also, various cooking methods from foreign countries are influencing Korean soup dishes. For example, foreign soup dishes like Japanese ramen or Chinese hotpot have been transformed Korean-style and are establishing themselves as new soup dishes. These changes are further broadening the diversity of Korean soup dishes.

    When You Visit Korea in Winter, What Soup Dishes Do I Recommend?

    What Soups Do Koreans Eat in Winter001-20260129
    Sundaeguk – price is about $10.00

    You can expect costs of around $10-20 per person. For Korean restaurants specializing in soup dishes, I recommend galbitang, samgyetang, and mandu-guk.

    Once I was eating at a samgyetang restaurant and saw a traveling couple order samgyetang. They made an amazed expression when they saw the samgyetang come out – a whole chicken boiled thoroughly white. Of course, when you eat samgyetang, kimchi and kkakdugi are provided as basic side dishes. Basic side dishes are free. Chili peppers and doenjang are also provided. The main ingredient of samgyetang is young chicken. (No sugar is used.) When eating samgyetang, dip the meat in salt, or add or reduce salt according to your taste. Add a little pepper too. For reference, it’s not a spicy dish.

    I also recommend mandu-guk in winter. A dish similar to mandu is Chinese dim sum. The difference is that mandu-guk boils mandu submerged in water. At this time, the water used for boiling also uses broth for flavor. Ingredients for making mandu include minced beef, pork, various vegetables, and seasonings shaped into dumplings. It’s not a spicy dish. No sugar is used.

    There’s galbitang, and there are many restaurants that specialize only in galbitang. Galbitang is mainly made by cutting and boiling the beef rib part and the meat attached to the ribs. At this time, to make the broth delicious, each specialized restaurant mixes herbs and various ingredients. It’s mainly eaten in winter. No additional sugar or red pepper powder is used during cooking. In other words, it’s not a spicy dish. After eating a bowl in cold winter, warm energy fills your whole body. Prices are mostly around $10-20.

    This one has mixed preferences, but ppyeodagwi haejangguk might be a bit difficult for first-time visitors to Korea. Pork spine is boiled for a long time to remove the smell, then boiled with various vegetables and medicinal ingredients. The taste is spicy, and no sugar is used when making ppyeodagwi haejangguk. When you order ppyeodagwi haejangguk, you eat the bones, meat attached to the bones, and vegetables together. Side dishes come separately too. Of course, side dishes basically include kimchi and kkakdugi. The reason Koreans prefer it is that eating ppyeodagwi haejangguk makes you sweat a little all over your body, and with the added spiciness, your mind can reset momentarily. Many people say that after eating, stress is completely relieved.

    If you want to eat kongnamul-gukbap, I recommend trying ‘kongnamul-gukbap’ after visiting Korea. It costs around $10 at most. The reason people prefer kongnamul-gukbap is for winter warmth, and because kongnamul-guk contains a lot of asparagine acid which is very good for hangover relief. Bean sprouts themselves contain a lot of asparagine acid.

    Bugeoguk is also commonly eaten. It’s food made by thoroughly boiling dried pollack. There aren’t that many bugeoguk specialty restaurants, but if you’re interested in bugeoguk made with dried pollack, I recommend it once.

    Chueotang is soup made with loaches, and anyway this might have mixed preferences. Chueotang is rich in protein and preferred as very good food for men. Of course, it’s also eaten for health. Chueotang is a slightly spicy dish. My mother used to make it a lot in the past. The cooking method for chueotang in restaurants: loaches (similar to eels but much smaller in size. The size of loaches is about adult palm length) are thoroughly boiled, then strained through a sieve to filter out only the flesh. Then doenjang, gochujang, salt, and seasonings are added and thoroughly boiled – that’s loach soup. Personally, I eat chueotang about 5 times a month, and after eating, my stomach feels comfortable. The price is around $10-15, and all side dishes come out. Some people say chueotang is fishy, but it’s not particularly fishy. However, it is a slightly spicy dish. After eating, I think your stomach will feel full and satisfied.

    Also, soups commonly made at home in winter include beef radish soup (beef and radish boiled thoroughly), kongnamul-guk, kimchi-guk, radish soup, and mandu-guk. Simply put, you can think of Korean guk as boiling various ingredients in water to bring out the unique flavor of the ingredients. For reference, the difference between jjigae and guk is that jjigae has richer taste and slightly stronger seasoning than guk. Guk has clearer broth than jjigae and slightly milder seasoning.

    If you don’t prefer spicy things, I recommend samgyetang or mandu-guk. If you choose samgyeopsal or beef short ribs as your menu, one of kongnamul-guk, doenjang-guk, miyeok-guk, or oi-naengguk (cold cucumber soup) will come out as a side dish with the menu, so you can try that.

    For reference, in Korea, for beef short ribs, based on 1 serving (140g-200g), if it’s Korean hanwoo raised in Korea, you can expect a price of around $40-60. Honestly, if you’re considering beef short ribs as a menu with your family during Korea tourism, I’d recommend it even though the price is a bit expensive. Because you can feel various side dishes all at once. Above all, side dishes are free and continuously refilled.

    Really brand-name beef short rib specialty restaurants in Seoul are around $60 per person. The meat served differs by restaurant, but it’s likely one portion of 150g-200g. Honestly, the day you eat Korean hanwoo beef short ribs at a restaurant in Korea should be at least a birthday. Or when the company pays during a work dinner…

    If you eat food somewhere other than Seoul, I strongly recommend it. Seoul is 10% to as much as 30% more expensive for food than provincial areas. Due to expensive rent and labor costs.

    One interesting fact is that if you eat at restaurants outside Seoul, depending on the restaurant, you’ll feel that side dishes and food taste are distinctive.

    This winter soup tradition connects closely to Why Soup Is Served in Most Korean Meals

    Many winter soups rely on fermentation explained in Why Korean Food Uses Fermentation

    To understand rice and soup together, see How a Korean Meal Is Structured

    Everyday home soups are part of What Is Mitbanchan?

  • What Is Tang in Korean Food? Korean Soup, Broth & Stew Explained

    What Is Tang in Korean Food? Korean Soup, Broth & Stew Explained

    In Korean cuisine, tang refers to a type of soup made by boiling water with various vegetables, meat, or seafood. While often translated simply as “soup,” tang carries cultural, historical, and culinary meanings that go far beyond that single word.

    What Is Tang?

    The development of tang is closely tied to Korea’s traditional ondol heating system. Because Korean homes were heated using underfloor systems powered by fire, cooking heat from the same hearth (agungi) could be used efficiently. This constant access to heat made boiling and simmering foods natural and practical, allowing soup-based dishes to evolve deeply into Korean food culture.

    Another important reason soup culture flourished in Korea is the historical availability of drinkable water. Long before modern infrastructure, Korea had relatively easy access to clean water, making broth-based cooking sustainable and widespread.

    Why Did Soup and Tang Become So Common in Korea?

    Hot, lightly salted broth pairs naturally with rice, which is a carbohydrate-heavy staple. This preference is closely connected to Korea’s climate, with cold winters and humid summers making warm, cooked foods easier to digest and more comforting.

    Another practical reason is portion size. Historically and even today, Koreans tend to eat larger meal portions compared to neighboring cultures. To feed many people sufficiently, cooking methods that could expand ingredients with water were essential. Tang allowed small amounts of meat or vegetables to nourish entire households.

    Despite common assumptions, many Korean soups are not high in calories. In fact, soups simmered for long periods often contain rich nutrients dissolved into the broth, making them easy to digest and nutritionally efficient—similar to Western soups in purpose, though different in structure.

    Tang as Nourishing and Medicinal Food

    Sundaeguk (Korean Sundaeguk) – Side dishes are complimentary.
    Pork offal is simmered in water for a long time to create a broth. The red color is a seasoning made with red pepper powder, soy sauce, and other secret recipes from the restaurant. This sauce adds a savory flavor. The good news is that it contains no artificial sweeteners, colorings, or chemical seasonings. – pic by tastykoreanfood.com

    Soups made with precious ingredients were traditionally considered boyangshik (restorative foods). For people sensitive to raw or cold foods, boiled dishes were safer and gentler on the stomach.

    In both cold seasons, when digestion weakens, and hot seasons, when food spoils easily, boiled soups remained a reliable and safe option. This practicality reinforced the role of tang as everyday nourishment rather than an occasional dish.

    Tang, Jjigae, Jeongol, and Jorim: What’s the Difference?

    Tang is often confused with jjigae (stew), but they differ in structure and purpose.

    • Jjigae contains less water and more solid ingredients, resulting in a thicker, more intensely seasoned dish.
    • When even less liquid is used, the dish may resemble jorim (braised food). However, jorim focuses on cooking ingredients in minimal liquid rather than enjoying both broth and solids together.
    • Jeongol, on the other hand, is prepared at the table by adding raw ingredients to broth and cooking them together during the meal. Unlike tang or guk, it is interactive and communal.

    Tang, guk, jjigae, and jeongol all emphasize harmony between ingredients and liquid, while jorim focuses on the ingredients themselves.

    Tang in a Global Context

    In Western cuisine, soups and stews also fall under the broad category of broth-based dishes. If soup corresponds to guk or tang, then stew occupies a position closer to jjigae. All share the common principle of using liquid as the foundation of cooking.

    Japanese cuisine refers to soup-based dishes as shirumono (汁物), which includes miso soup and clear broths. Even Western consommé can be viewed within this broader category of soup-based cooking.

    The Korean word gukmul (broth) originally meant “the water that makes up soup,” but today it also refers to stock or base broth. Expressions like “There isn’t even broth left” evolved to mean that nothing remains to be gained—reflecting how essential broth was in daily life.

    What Does Tang (湯) Mean?

    The word tang (湯) is a respectful or elevated term for guk. Dishes such as gomtang, galbitang, and seolleongtang often require long cooking times, and seasoning is typically adjusted at the table with salt or green onions.

    Unlike guk, some tang dishes do not include the original cooking ingredients in the final bowl. Tang is usually served in individual bowls and emphasizes clear, deeply extracted broth.

    Representative Korean tang dishes include:

    • Galbitang (short rib soup)
    • Gamjatang (pork bone soup)
    • Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup)
    • Maeuntang (spicy fish soup)
    • Chueotang (loach soup)
    • Haemultang (seafood soup)

    Interestingly, dakdoritang is not technically classified as tang due to its cooking method. International dishes such as shabu-shabu and mala tang are also examples of tang-style cooking.

    Historically, the term tang referred broadly to boiled liquids. Even plain water was once called baektang (白湯), and during Korea’s modernization period, coffee was sometimes referred to as “coffee tang.”

    What Is Jeongol?

    Jeongol is a traditional Korean dish cooked directly at the table. Raw meat, seafood, and vegetables are placed in a shallow pot, broth is added, and the ingredients are cooked together while eating. As the broth reduces, more stock is added, and the meal often ends with noodles or rice porridge cooked in the remaining broth.

    The key difference between jjigae and jeongol lies in preparation:

    • Jjigae is fully cooked before serving.
    • Jeongol is cooked gradually at the table.

    Tang Compared to Global Soup Cultures

    Nearly every country has its own representative soup dishes. Japan is known for ramen, with broth styles varying by region. China is famous for hot pot, mala tang, and wonton soup. Thailand has tom yum, and Vietnam has pho.

    In Europe, soup has historically been associated with poverty, stretching limited ingredients to feed many. French cuisine often elevated soup only by adding luxury ingredients. Colder regions such as Germany, Poland, and Russia developed hearty stew-like dishes instead.

    Germany’s Eintopf, often associated with grandmothers’ home cooking, and British stews are examples of how broth-based dishes symbolize comfort worldwide.

    So, What Is Tang in Korean Food?

    Tang is not just soup. It is a reflection of Korea’s climate, history, cooking methods, and philosophy of nourishment. It represents warmth, efficiency, balance, and care—qualities that define Korean food culture itself.

    Soup is only one part of the story. To understand how dishes like tang fit into daily meals, cultural traditions, and long-term eating habits, start with [What Is Korean Food?]

    Soup and tang are never served alone. They exist alongside rice and multiple side dishes, known as [What Is Banchan?], which together create balance and variety in a Korean meal..

  • Why Is Soup Always Served in Korean Meals? Culture, History, and Meaning

    Why Is Soup Always Served in Korean Meals? Culture, History, and Meaning

    In Korea, serving soup (guk or tang) as part of a meal is not accidental. It developed from a grain-centered diet, where soup helped digestion, provided warmth, replenished nutrients and salt, and allowed large families to share meals even with limited ingredients.

    KOREAN SOUP(KOREAN STREW), Yukgaejang AND side dishes (side dish made for long storage, KOREAN CALL Mitbanchan)

    Historically, Korea’s geography made water relatively easy to access, and meals often needed to be prepared and eaten efficiently. Combined with Confucian values that emphasized balance and harmony, the structure of rice, soup, and side dishes became the foundation of Korean meals.

    Soup was never just a way to drink liquid. It represented warmth, balance, and practicality—an essential component of Korean food culture.

    Why Is Soup Always Served in Korean Meals?

    Soup became essential in Korean meals because it supported digestion in grain-heavy diets, provided warmth and hydration, and helped families share limited food resources efficiently. It also reflected Confucian ideals that valued balance, order, and harmony at the table.

    How Did Soup Become Central to Korean Food Culture?

    Korea’s historical and geographical conditions played a major role. Water was relatively easy to obtain, and meals often needed to be prepared quickly for large households. Soup allowed ingredients to stretch further while maintaining nutritional value.

    Over time, the combination of practicality and cultural philosophy shaped soup into a permanent element of Korean meals.

    What Role Does Soup Play in a Traditional Korean Meal?

    Soup acts as a stabilizing element alongside rice and side dishes. This structure supports balanced nutrition and creates a comforting rhythm to daily meals.

    In Korean dining culture, soup is not optional. It completes the meal and connects the individual components into a cohesive whole.

    Is Soup About Nutrition, Digestion, or Efficiency?

    The answer is all three.

    By simmering small amounts of meat or vegetables in water for long periods, Korean households could extract protein and nutrients efficiently. This made it possible for many people to share a nourishing meal even when ingredients were scarce.

    Soup also helps soften grains, supports digestion, and replenishes electrolytes, making it both practical and nourishing.

    What Is Tangban Culture, and Why Does It Matter?

    Tangban culture refers to the habit of eating rice together with soup—sometimes even mixing the rice directly into the broth. This allowed meals to be eaten quickly, warmly, and efficiently, especially during physically demanding days.

    This practice reinforced soup’s role as the emotional and nutritional center of Korean meals.

    How Many Types of Soup-Based Dishes Exist in Korean Cuisine?

    Korean soup-based dishes are not limited to one category. They are generally divided into four main types:

    • Guk (국)
    • Tang (탕)
    • Jjigae (찌개)
    • Jeongol (전골)

    Each category reflects differences in purpose, cooking method, and how the dish is shared.

    What Is the Difference Between Guk, Tang, Jjigae, and Jeongol?

    The biggest distinction lies in the ratio of broth to solid ingredients and how the dish is served.

    Guk focuses on broth and is served individually. Jjigae emphasizes ingredients and is shared from a communal pot. Tang usually requires longer cooking times and is seasoned at the table.

    Jeongol is often prepared for group dining and finished together at the table. Although these definitions sometimes overlap in daily life, they are culturally understood.

    Why Do Koreans Consider Soup a Non-Negotiable Part of a Meal?

    In traditional Korean dining, when counting side dishes, staples such as rice, soup, kimchi, sauces, and stews are excluded. This alone shows how essential soup is—it is assumed, not optional.

    Even today, especially among older generations, a meal without soup feels incomplete. Some people will not even lift their spoon if soup is missing from the table.

    Why Do Koreans Focus on Broth More Than Noodles?

    This mindset is reflected in language and habits. Koreans often say they “boil” ramen rather than “cook” noodles, emphasizing the importance of the broth.

    Even when eating noodle dishes like udon, Koreans tend to judge the dish by the quality of the soup, while Japanese diners focus more on the noodles themselves.

    Is Korean Soup Similar to Western Soup?

    While Korean soup may resemble Western soup on the surface, the concept is different. Korean soup is meant to be eaten with rice as part of a structured meal, not as a standalone course.

    It functions as nourishment, balance, and comfort all at once.

    Final Answer: Why Soup Matters in Korean Everyday Eating

    Soup became essential in Korean meals because it brings together nutrition, efficiency, cultural philosophy, and emotional comfort.

    In Korean cuisine, soup is not simply something to drink. It is the element that ties rice, side dishes, and people together into a complete meal.

    Related Guides to Korean Food Culture