I think you are already familiar with hangover soup. However, I wonder how well you know about seolleongtang. Generally, when you go to a hangover soup restaurant, you will often find seolleongtang on the menu in addition to hangover soup. However, many people don't know exactly what kind of Korean dish seolleongtang is, so they tend to be scared and don't order it.
If you ask your Korean friends, you will find that many people prefer seolleongtang over hangover soup. So, are you curious about what kind of traditional food seolleongtang is? Do you want to know how the history of seolleongtang was formed? Thinking about these related questions, we will learn about seolleongtang with you this time!
Introduction to Seolleongtang
Seolleongtang is a traditional Korean food that is eaten with soup made by boiling cow bones and meat for a long time, along with boiled meat, somen, and rice.
Source: Geumbyeol Mom ★Working Mom Cooks Quickly★Never Ending Geumbyeol Story: Naver Blog (naver.com)
The soup of seolleongtang is white, soft and light, the meat is soft and chewy, and the somen is chewy and delicious. Seolleongtang is also famous as a health food and is said to be good for colds and body aches.
Seolleongtang is usually eaten with radish radish kimchi or green onion kimchi, and you can adjust the seasoning to suit your taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper powder.
Seolleongtang can be enjoyed in many restaurants in Korea, and can also be made at home. Seolleongtang is a delicious and healthy Korean food loved by many people.
Cooking method
There are many ways to make seolleongtang, but the most common methods are as follows:
Soak beef feet, cross bones, and beef bones in water to remove blood, then change the water and boil to make bone broth. At this time, add ginger to remove unpleasant odors, and skim off oil foam from time to time.
Boil and slice meat such as triangle meat, brisket, and pork belly separately. At this time, add green onions for flavor.
Prepare somen by boiling it.
Boil the bone broth, add the meat and somen and boil once more.
Put it in a bowl and eat it with rice.
The history of seolleongtang
There are many theories about the origin and history of seolleongtang. Let me introduce you to a few of them.
Source: Seolleongtang (Seolleongtang) - Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (aks.ac.kr)
Seonnongdan theory of origin: Seonnongdan is an altar where the king personally held ancestral rites to the Shennong and Hujik clans related to farming during the Joseon Dynasty to pray for good farming. According to this theory of origin, King Sejong was unable to return to the palace due to heavy rain suddenly falling while he was greeting the king at Seonnongdan. As the rain continued, people could not bear the hunger, so they slaughtered a cow that was used during the Qing Dynasty, boiled it in plain water, and ate it. This is said to be the origin of Seolleongtang. It is related to 'Seonnongdan', so what was called 'Seonnongtang' became 'Seolleongtang' through phonetic changes such as 'Seolnongtang'.
Source: Seoul Metropolitan Government - Seoul in My Hands (seoul.go.kr)
Mongol origin theory: The theory is that seolleongtang was introduced along with soju when the Mongols invaded Goryeo in the first half of the 13th century. In 『Mong-Eoyuhae』, it is said that Gongtang, the water in which meat is boiled, is called shulu in Mongolian, and in 『Bangeonjipseok』, it is said that Gongtang is called Kongtang in the Han Dynasty, Siler in the Qing Dynasty, and Shulu in Mongolia. Therefore, this sealer, shulu, became seolleongtang. The Mongolians liked to boil meat in plain water and eat it, and it is said that this recipe was adopted by the Goryeo people.
Source: History Channel e - The history channel e_Gyeongseong fast food, seolleongtang - YouTube
The theory of its origin: It is said that it originated from boiling 'Sulleongseolleong' for a long time. Seolleongtang is a word that describes the shape of boiling water, and it is said that Seolleongtang got its name because it boils beef bones and meat for a long time to make the soup white, soft, and light.
There are other origin theories, but they are still controversial due to the lack of solid evidence. Seolleongtang is a delicious and healthy Korean food loved by many people.
