An ''agungi'' ( ko, 아궁이) is a

firebox Firebox may refer to: * Firebox (steam engine), the area where the fuel is burned in a steam engine * Firebox (architecture), the part of a fireplace where fuel is combusted *Firebox Records, a Finnish 8101705801record label * Firebox.com, an elect ...

found in traditional Korean kitchens which is used to burn firewood or other fuel for

cooking Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric stoves, to baking in vario ...

. It is also a part of the traditional floor heating system, or ondol. The flat cooktop counter or

hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a low, ...

installed over the ''agungi'' is called a ''buttumak'' ().

History

Early ''buttumak'' have been dated to the 10th‒4th century BCE. Iron and ceramic ''buttumaks'', similar to their later forms, were excavated from Goguryeo 1st century BCE historical sites, such as

Anak Tomb No. 3 Anak Tomb No. 3 is a chamber tomb of Goguryeo located in Anak, South Hwanghae, North Korea. It is known for mural paintings and an epitaph. It is part of the Complex of Koguryo Tombs. It was discovered in 1949 with valuable treasures stolen, but ...

. Many Korean agrarian kitchens had ''buttumak'' with

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

-fueled ''agungi'' until the early 1970s. File:Goguryeo buttumak 1.jpg, Iron ''buttumak'' from Goguryeo (37 BCE ‒ 668 CE) File:Agungi door 1.jpg, ''Agungi'' door from agrarian South Korea in the mid-20th century

Structure

''Buttumaks'' in agrarian Korean kitchens were commonly made from

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

or stone and then smoothed with

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay parti ...

. Above each ''agungi'' is an upward opening where ''

gamasot ''Gamasot'' (), or simply ''sot'' (), is a big, heavy pot or cauldron used for Korean cooking. Origin The origins of the ‘sot’ originate in the "Chung" which is made of bronze. Researchers have speculated that copper would be easier to ha ...

'' (big pot or cauldron used on ''agungi'') can be set onto the ''buttumak''. A kitchen may have ''buttumak'' with multiple ''agungi'' holes and upward openings, or a single ''agungi'' hole and a single upward opening. Each ''agungi'' can be covered with an iron plate or door to control the fire. ''Agungi'' and ''buttumak'' are among the main components of the traditional '' ondol'' (floor heating) system. Vents in the back of ''agungi'' are opened on cold days to allow the smoke and hot air flow through the

flue A flue is a duct, pipe, or opening in a chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. Historically the term flue meant the chimney itself. In the United States, they are ...

s underneath ''ondol'' rooms and exit into the chimney at the other end of the house.

Influences

Japanese ''

kamado A is a traditional Japanese wood- or charcoal-fueled cook stove. Etymology and history The kamado was invented in China, spread to Korea, and eventually made its way to Japan.Farrispp.83-87./ref> The name kamado is the Japanese word for ...

'' was their adaptation of ''buttumak'' introduced from Korea. The word ''

'' () also has its root in Korean word ''gama'' (가마), a synonym of ''buttumak''. The word ''gama'' in modern Korean is usually used to refer to kilns, but the usage of the word meaning ''buttumak'' can be found in some compounds such as ''

'' (literally ''gama'' cauldron) referring to the cauldron used on ''buttumak''.

References

Fireplaces Hanok Cooking appliances Stoves {{Korea-stub

History

Structure

Influences

See also

References