Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
n ''tang'' (soup) made from ox bones (mostly leg bones),
brisket
Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts, though the definition of the cut differs internationally. The brisket muscles include the Pectoralis major, superficial ...
and other cuts. Seasoning is generally done at the table according to personal taste by adding
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
, ground black pepper, red pepper, minced garlic, or chopped spring onions. It is a local dish of
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
.
''Seolleongtang'' is typically simmered over a low flame over a period of several hours to an entire day, to allow the flavor to be gradually extracted from the bones. It has a milky off-white, cloudy appearance and is normally eaten together with
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
and several side dishes; the rice is sometimes added directly to the soup.
History and etymology
In the
Joseon
Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
period, Koreans regularly made nationwide sacrifices to their ancestors, such as
Dangun
Dangun or Tangun (; ), also known as Dangun Wanggeom (; ), was the legendary founder and first king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. He founded the first kingdom around the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "gra ...
(the legendary founder of the kingdom of
Gojoseon
Gojoseon (; ), contemporary name Joseon (; ), was the first kingdom on the Korea, Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary king Dangun. Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in th ...
). The nationwide sacrifice was called ''sŏnnongje'' (, ''sŏnnong'' meaning "venerated farmer"), and the altar for the sacrifice was called ''sŏnnongdan'' (), which dates back to the
Silla
Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...
Doosan Encyclopedia
''Doosan Encyclopedia'' () is a Korean-language encyclopedia published by Doosan Donga (). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be published in 1982 by Dong-A Publishing (). ...
King Seongjong had visited the sacrifice himself, and had eaten a meal with the people of Joseon. To increase the food supply in Joseon, King Seongjong ordered them to invent dishes that could feed the maximum number of people using the fewest ingredients, and ''seonnongtang'' (''tang'' meaning "soup") was one of these.
Another historical opinion precedes the Joseon period concerning the origin of ''seolleongtang''. According to this, the food was originated by the
Mongolian
Mongolian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Mongolia, a country in Asia
* Mongolian people, or Mongols
* Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, the government of Mongolia, 1911–1919 and 1921–1924
* Mongolian language
* Mongolian alphabet
* ...
invasion of Korea during the 13th century. Mongolian food "Sulen" is sliced and boiled beef with
green onions
"Green Onions" is an instrumental composition recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. One of the most popular soul songs ever, and R&B instrumentals of its era, it utilizes a twelve-bar blues progression and features a rippling Hammond M3 ...
, which developed into ''seolleongtang'' in Korea.
''Seonnongtang'' is now called ''seolleongtang'' for easier pronunciation. The phonetic values have changed as follows:
* Seonnongtang (선농탕, Sŏnnongt'ang) > Seollongtang (설롱탕, Sŏllongt'ang) > Seolleongtang (설렁탕, Sŏllŏngt'ang)
The first change is a consonant liquidization making the two "N" sounds into softer "L" sounds for easy pronunciation. The second change is a vowel harmonization of the "O" sound affected by the "Ŏ" sound.
Among common misbeliefs related to the dish, the name may come from its snowy white color and hearty taste, so ''seolleongtang'' was "" in Hanja (literally "snowy thick soup"). Therefore, several Korean dictionaries say that the Hanja spelling such as is an incorrect usage for the dish. Nevertheless, the misspelling is used to refer to the soup in Hanja."Regional specialities: Seoul: Seolleongtang" ''Korea Tourism Organization''. 9 January 2006. Retrieved 2012-04-12
The oldest extant restaurant in South Korea,
Imun Seolnongtang
Imun Seolnongtang () is a historic restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. It is the oldest operating restaurant in South Korea, having been founded in , during the Korean Empire period. It specializes in the ox bone soup dish ''seolleongtang''.
The r ...
, serves the dish. The restaurant's name contains an archaic spelling of ''seollongtang''.
See also
*
Galbitang
''Galbi-tang''
* () or short rib soup is a variety of '' guk'', or Korean soup, made primarily from beef short ribs along with stewing beef, radish, onions, and other ingredients. The short ribs, or ''" galbi"'', also refers to grilled short r ...
Haejangguk
''Haejang-guk''
* () or hangover soup refers to every kind of '' guk'' or soup eaten as a hangover cure in Korean cuisine. It means "soup to chase a hangover" and is also called ''sulguk'' (). It usually consists of dried napa cabbage, vegetabl ...
, soups eaten as a hangover remedy
*
Gomguk
''Gomguk'' (), ''gomtang''
* (), or beef bone soup refers to a soup in Korean cuisine made with various beef parts such as ribs, oxtail, brisket, ox's head or ox bones by slow simmering on a low flame.Guk
*
Korean cuisine
Korean cuisine is the set of foods and culinary styles which are associated with Korean culture. This cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient Prehistoric Korea, agricultural and nomad ...
*
List of Korean dishes
Below is a list of dishes found in Korean cuisine.
Rice dishes
* ''Bibimbap'' (, 'mixed rice'): rice topped with seasoned vegetables such as spinach, Edible mushroom, mushrooms, sea tangle, carrots, bean sprouts, and served with a dollop of '' ...
*
List of soups
This is a list of notable soups. Soups have been made since ancient times.
Some soups are served with large chunks of meat or vegetables left in the liquid, while others are served as a broth. A broth is a flavored liquid usually derived from ...