samgyetang

''Samgye-tang'' (), or " ginseng chicken soup"
* is a '' tang'' (Korean soup) that consists primarily of a whole young chicken ( ''poussin'') or quail filled with garlic, rice, jujube and ginseng. It is traditionally considered to be a health food. ''Samgye-tang'' is a representative summer health food. Soup made with chicken that is slightly larger than the chick is called ''yeonggye baeksuk'', and the chicken is divided into half is called ''banggye-tang''.

History

During the Joseon period (1392–1897), people enjoyed the numerous chicken soup dishes that were similar to ''samgye-tang'', including ''yeongye-tang'', ''chonggye-tang'', and ''hwanggye-tang''. While it was the custom to make a soup with young chicken and serve it to elders during the summer days, the chicken boiled with milkvetch roots and its broth were served to the sick queen during King Injo's reign. However, the description of the dish that most closely resembles today's form of ''samgye-tang'' can be found in ''Joseon yorijaebeop'' (), the cookbook. Bang Sin-yeong, a professor of Ewha Womans University, wrote in 1917 to compile the information on how to make various traditional dishes of Joseon. In the book, it is described that ''dakguk'' (), or chicken soup, is made by gutting a chicken and stuffing the inside with three spoons of glutinous rice and one spoon of ginseng powder, followed by tying up the opening and boiling the chicken with ten bowls of water. During the Japanese colonial era, the Japanese officials who investigated the cultures of former Joseon noted that rich families boiled the chicken stuffed with ginseng and used the broth as medicine in summer.

The dish began to be commercially sold at restaurants around 1940s and under the name ''gyesam-tang'' () in 1950s, which meant chicken ginseng soup. With the supplying of modern refrigerators in Korea, it became possible to preserve a ginseng as whole instead of powder. Thus, since 1960s, it became more common to stuff the chicken with a whole piece of ginseng instead of powder, reaching today's form of the dish. To emphasize the medicinal effects of the ginseng in the soup, many people since then have started calling the dish ''samgye-tang'' (ginseng chicken soup) instead of ''gyesam-tang'' (chicken ginseng soup).

Custom

It is the custom in Korea to eat ''samgye-tang'' during hot summer days in order to replenish the nutrients that were lost through the sweating and physical activities. It is especially popular to eat this chicken soup on ''sambok'' () days, which are three distinct days of the lunar calendar—''chobok'' (), ''jungbok'' (), and ''malbok'' ()—commonly among the hottest and most sultry summer days in Korea.

Some specialty restaurants in South Korea serve only ''samgyetang'', having gained local popularity through their special recipes for the dish, which are often kept as secrets. The dish is sometimes accompanied by a small complimentary bottle of ''insam-ju'' (ginseng wine) in certain restaurants.Nutritious foods of summer and wine
Maekyung, 2009-07-07.Retrieved 2010-07-06.

Gallery

Samgye-tang.jpg, ''Samgye-tang'' (closeup)
Image:Korean soup-Samgyetang-13.jpg, ''Samgyetang''
Image:Korean soup-Samgyetang-12.jpg, ''Samgyetang''
Image:Korean soup-Samgyetang-06.jpg, ''Samgyetang'' with ''kimchi'' and ''insam-ju'' (ginseng wine)
Image:Korean chicken soup-Ogolgyetang-01.jpg, '' Ogolgye samgyetang''

See also

* '' Baeksuk''
* '' Dak-bokkeum-tang''
* '' Ori-tang''
* List of chicken dishes
* List of soups
* List of Korean dishes

References

External links

*
* {{cite news, url=http://www.idomin.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=225619 , title=Samgyetang Story 2 (삼계탕 이야기 (하)) , publisher=idomin.com , language=ko , author=Kim Yeong-bok (김영복) / Yeo Gyeong-mo (여경모) , date=2007-07-26

Korean chicken dishes
Korean soups and stews
Chicken soups