''Guk'' (), also sometimes known as ''tang'' (), is a class of soup-like dishes in

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 ...

. ''Guk'' and ''tang'' are commonly grouped together and regarded as the same type of dish, although ''tang'' can sometimes be less watery than ''guk''. It is one of the most basic components in a Korean meal, along with ''

bap BAP or bap may refer to: Food * Bap (bread), a bread roll * Bap (rice dish), of Korea People * Bap Kennedy (1962–2016), Northern Irish singer-songwriter * Bronze Age Pervert, Romanian-American right-wing writer and podcaster Music * BAP (Germa ...

'' (밥, rice), and ''

banchan ''Banchan'' ( ; ; ) are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. ''Banchan'' are often set in the middle of the table to be shared. At the center of the table is the secondary main course, such as ''galbi'' or ''bulg ...

'' (반찬, side dishes). In Korean table setting, ''guk'' is served on the right side of ''bap'' (rice), and left side of '' sujeo'' (수저, a spoon and chopsticks). ''Guk'' is a native Korean word, while ''tang'' is a Sino-Korean word that originally meant "boiling water" or "soup". ''Tang'' has been used as an honorific term in place of ''guk'', when it denotes the same meaning as ''guk'' as in '' yeonpo-tang'' (연포탕, octopus soup), '' daegu-tang'' (대구탕, codfish soup), or '' jogae-tang'' (조개탕, clam soup). Generally, the names of lighter soups with vegetables are suffixed with ''-guk'', while heavier, thicker soups made with more solid ingredients used in ''

jesa ''Jesa'' (, ) is a ceremony commonly practiced in Korea. Jesa functions as a Ancestor veneration, memorial to the ancestors of the participants. Jesa are usually held on the anniversary of the ancestor's death. The majority of Catholic Church in ...

'' (ancestral rites) are often referred to as ''tang''. '' Gamja-guk'' (potato soup) and '' gamja-tang'' (pork back-bone stew) are different dishes; the potato soup can be called ''gamjeo-tang.''

Types

''Guk'' is largely categorized into four groups of soups, such as ''malgeun jangguk'' (), ''gomguk'' (), ''tojangguk'' (), and naengguk (). ''Malgeun jangguk'' literally means "clear (''malgeun'', 맑은) soup (''guk'', 국) seasoned with a condiment (''jang'', 장)," such as ''

doenjang ''Doenjang'' * () or soybean paste is a type of fermented bean paste made entirely of soybean and brine used in Korean cuisine. It is also a byproduct of soup soy sauce production. It is sometimes used as a relish. History The earliest soyb ...

'' (soy bean paste) or '' ganjang'', and is served in a ''bansang'' (반상, regular meal table). The main ingredients for ''malgeun jangguk'' are meat, fish, vegetables, and seafoods. ''Gomguk'', also called ''gomtang'', refers to either a soup type made by boiling various beef parts such as rib, oxtail, brisket, head, and so forth for a long time, or made with ox bone by the same method. The broth of ''gomguk'' tends to have a milky color and to be rich and hearty taste. It can also be made with

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

or pork bone, to produce ''samgyetang'' or ''gamjatang''. ''Tojangguk'' are based on ''doenjang'' broth and ''ssaltteumul'' (쌀뜨물, leftover water after washing rice for cooking). The taste is usually savory and deep. ''Naengguk'' are cold soups usually eaten in summer. These soups are usually clean and tangy, such as with ''oi naengguk'' (오이냉국, cold cucumber) and ''miyeok naengguk'' (미역냉국, cold wakame soup). ''Kkaetguk'' (깻국, sesame soup), made with chicken and sesame seeds, is thick and serves to replenish and supplement nutrients during hot weather.

''Malgeun jangguk''

*''

Tteokguk Tteokguk * () or sliced rice cake soup is a traditional Korean dish eaten during the celebration of the Korean New Year. The dish consists of broth/soup (''guk'') with thinly sliced rice cakes (''tteok''). Eating ''tteokguk'' on New Year's Day ...

'' (), ''

tteok ''Tteok'' () is a general term for Korean rice cakes. They are made with steamed flour of various grains, especially glutinous rice, glutinous and non-glutinous Japonica rice, rice. Steamed flour can also be pounded, shaped, or pan-fried to make ...

'' (rice cake) soup *'' Miyeok guk'' (), '' wakame'' (edible seaweed) soup *''Kongnamul guk'' (), made with '' kongnamul'' *''Muguk'' (), made with

radish The radish (''Raphanus sativus'') is a flowering plant in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. Its large taproot is commonly used as a root vegetable, although the entire plant is edible and its leaves are sometimes used as a leaf vegetable. Origina ...

*''Gamjaguk'' (), made with potato *''Toranguk'' (), made with taro *''Bugeoguk'' (), made with dried Alaska pollock *''Bogeoguk'' (), made with puffer fish *''Jogaeguk'' (), made with shellfish **'' Jaecheopguk'' (), soup made with ''jaecheop'' (small clams, '' Corbicula fluminea'') harvested in rivers of

Gyeongsang Province Gyeongsang Province (; ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Joseon Korea. Gyeongsang was located in southeastern Korea. The provincial capital of Gyeongsang was Daegu. The region was the birthplace of the kingdom of Silla, which unified Korea i ...

''Gomguk''

*Beef **''Gomguk''/''gomtang'' (/, ): ***''Sagol gomtang'' (), pale-bone broths garnished with oxtail or sliced brisket ***''Kkori gomtang'' (), ox tail soup **'' Seolleongtang'' (): ox leg bone soup simmered for more than 10 hours until the soup is milky-white. Usually served in a bowl containing ''somyeon'' and pieces of beef. Sliced

scallion Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...

s and black pepper are used as condiments **''Galbitang'' (), made with '' galbi'' or beef ribs **'' Yukgaejang'' (), beef soup with red chili flakes, soy sauce and bean sprouts **''Doganitang'' (), soup from knuckles and bones *Chicken and pork **'' Samgyetang'' (), a soup made with Cornish game hens that are stuffed with

ginseng Ginseng () is the root of plants in the genus ''Panax'', such as South China ginseng (''Panax notoginseng, P. notoginseng''), Korean ginseng (''Panax ginseng, P. ginseng''), and American ginseng (''American ginseng, P. quinquefol ...

, a hedysarum,

glutinous rice Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals. Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...

jujube Jujube (UK ; US or ), sometimes jujuba, scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'', and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus '' Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. It is often confused wit ...

s, garlic, and chestnuts; the soup is traditionally eaten in the summer **'' Gamjatang'' (감자탕, "potato stew"), a spicy soup made with pork spine, vegetables (especially potatoes), and hot peppers; the vertebrae are usually separated, and the dish is often served as a late night snack but may also be served for lunch or dinner **'' Dwaeji gukbap'' (), a representative regional hearty pork-parts soup with rice of coastal Gyeongsang-do

''Tojangguk''

''Tojangguk'' are eaten all year round. The term emerged in the 1930s in Korean cookbooks. *''Sigeumchi tojangguk'' (), made with spinach *''Auk tojangguk'' (), made with malva *''Naengi tojangguk'' (), made with

horseradish Horseradish (''Armoracia rusticana'', syn. ''Cochlearia armoracia'') is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes Mustard plant, mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radish). It is a root vegetable, cultivated and us ...

*''Ugeojiguk'' (), made with ''ugeoji'' (우거지, dried napa cabbage) *''Daseulgiguk'' (), made with

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks that live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs t ...

s (다슬기, '' Semisulcospira libertina'')

Naengguk

'' Naengguk'' refers to all kinds of cold soups, mainly eaten in summer. They are also called ''changuk'' (literally "cold soup") in pure Korean while the term ''naengguk'' is a combination of a

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

word and a pure Korean word with the same meaning. The first historical record on ''naengguk'' appears in a poem written by Yi Gyu-bo (1168–1241), a high officer of the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

period (918–1392). ''Naengguk'' is referred to as "sungaeng" in the poem, which literally means ''sunchaeguk'', soup made with ''sunchae'' ('' Brasenia schreberi''). Yi praised its clear and plain taste. ''Naengguk'' is generally divided into two categories according to taste and ingredients. One group of ''naengguk'' is made by mixing chilled water and vinegar to give a sweet and sour taste; examples include ''miyeok naengguk'' made with '' wakame'', ''oi naengguk'' made with cucumber, ''pa naengguk'' made with spring onions, ''nameul naengguk'' made with garlic, and ''gim naengguk'' made with '' gim'' or ''

nori Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, usually made from species of the red algae genus ''Pyropia'', including ''P. yezoensis'' and ''Pyropia tenera, P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is generally made in ...

''. The other group is made to supplement health and has rich tastes, such as chilled soup made with chicken, sesame, or soy bean. *''Miyeok naengguk'' (), cold ''wakame'' soup *''Oi naengguk'' (), cold cucumber soup *''Kkaetguk'' (), hearty cold soup made with chicken and ground sesame seeds *''Naengkongguk'' (), made with ground soybeans and can be used for '' kongguksu'' *''Kongnamul naengguk'' (), made with '' kongnamul''

Ingredients

*'' Maeuntang'' (): a refreshing, hot and spicy fish soup. *'' Haejangguk'' (): a favorite hangover cure consisting usually of meaty pork spine, ''ugeoji'' (우거지 dried napa cabbage) coagulated ox blood (similar to blood pudding), and vegetables in a hearty beef broth; legend has it that soon after World War II, the restaurant that invented this stew was the only place open in the Jongno district when the curfew at the time lifted at 4:00 AM *''Haemultang'' (): made with various seafood *''Haemuljaptang'' (), made with seafood and beef offal, once part of the Korean royal court cuisine *'' Altang'' (): can be made with ''myeongran jeot'' (), salted and fermented Alaska pollack's roe seasoned with chili pepper or fresh roe *''Chueotang'' (): made with '' Misgurnus mizolepis'' *''Yongbongtang'' (): made with chicken, carp and

softshell turtle Trionychidae is a family of turtles, commonly known as softshell turtles or simply softshells. The family was described by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. Softshells include some of the world's largest freshwater turtles, though many can adapt to li ...

*''Manduguk'' (): mandu soup *''Wanjatang'' (): made with ''wanja'' (meatball-like jeon) *''Gyerantang'' (): soup made with eggs *''Ssukkuk'' (): made with ssuk ('' Artemisia indica'') *''Sundaeguk'' (): made with

Sundae A sundae (Sunday Ice) () is an ice cream frozen dessert of American origin that typically consists of one or more scoops of ice cream topped with a sweet sauce or syrup and other toppings such as sprinkles, whipped cream, marshmallows, chocola ...

(or pork blood sausage) and sometimes it includes fatty pieces of intestine (gopchang), liver, lungs, bits of cartilage, and meat.

''Gukbap''

'' Gukbap'' (국밥, ) are dishes developed from ''guk''. The term literally means "soup with rice." The dish is typically served in restaurants, and has become popular among the working class since the late

Joseon Dynasty 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 ...

. *''Kongnamul gukbap'' (), clear soybean sprout (''kongnamul'') soup with rice *'' Gul-gukbap'' () – oyster and rice soup. *''Ttaro gukbap'' (), a variety of yukgaejang, local specialty of

Daegu Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...

References

External links

Soups and stews
from Food in Korea Korean words and phrases