Haejangguk

''Haejang-guk''
* (, 解酲-) 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, vegetables and meat in a hearty beef broth. One type of haejangguk, seonjiguk, includes sliced congealed ox blood (similar to black pudding) and another type, sundaeguk, includes a kind of blood sausage made with intestine stuffed with pig's blood and other ingredients.

History

In the ''Nogeoldae'', a manual for learning spoken Chinese published in the late Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), the term ''seongjutang'' () appears. It means "soup to get sober" and is assumed to be the origin of ''haejangguk''. According to the record, the soup consists of thinly sliced meat, noodles, scallions, and powder of '' ''cheoncho'''' () in a broth. The composition is same as the basic recipe of a present-day ''haejangguk''.

Although ''haejangguk'' is not mentioned in cookbooks written during the Joseon (1392–1910), relevant contents can be seen in genre paintings and documents of the late Joseon. In Shin Yun-bok (b. 1758)'s painting titled ''Jumakdo'' ( "Painting of the Tavern"), a scene regarding ''haejangguk'' is well depicted. A group of unemployed children of the rich gather to eat ''haejangguk'' while a ''jumo'' (a female owner of a ''jumak'') ladles boiling soup out of a cauldron.

This dish seemed to be eaten not only by commoners. According to ''Haedong jukji'' (海東竹枝), poetry collection written by Choe Yeong-nyeon (崔永年 1856~1935), ''haejangguk'' is referred to as ''hyojonggaeng'' (), which literally means a "dawn bell soup". The book states that the area within Namhansanseong is known for making the soup well. The ingredients for the soup are inner parts of napa cabbage, and ''kongnamul'' (soybean sprouts), mushrooms, galbi, sea cucumber, and abalone. They are mixed together with '' tojang'' (fermented bean paste) and are simmered thoroughly for a day. The cooked soup is then put into a '' hangari'' or earthen crock covered with a pad of cotton and sent to Seoul at night. When the dawn bell rings the time, the soup is delivered to a house of high-ranking officials. The ''hangari'' is still warm and the soup is very good for relieving hangovers. The record suggests that ''hyojonggaeng'' is either the first delivery food to cure a hangover after a banquet held by ''jaesang'' was ended or was used as a bribe.

Types

There are various types of ''haejangguk'' according to region based on ingredients and recipe that give each variety its own characteristic taste. ''Haejangguk'' of the Seoul region is a kind of '' tojangguk'' (soybean paste soup) made with ''kongnamul'', radish, napa cabbage, scallions, coagulated ox blood, and ''tojang'' in a broth. The broth is prepared by simmering ox bones in a pot with water for hours. The neighborhood of Cheongjin-dong is famous for the Seoul-style haejangguk.

In the city of Jeonju, people eat ''"kongnamul gukbap"'' as a ''haejangguk''. A little lean ''kongnamul'' with the length of an index finger are poached in water diluted with a small amount of salt. Along with the ''kongnamul'', steamed rice, sliced ripe kimchi, scallions and garlic, beef broth, and a small amount of shank are put into a ''ttukbaegi'' (a small earthen pot) over heat and the ''kongnamul'' broth is poured into it. When the ingredients are boiled, a raw egg is cracked over the soup. Once it is served, a mixture of sesame seeds and salt, scallions, minced garlic, chili pepper, and chili pepper powder, and ''saeujeot'' (salted fermented shrimp) are put into the ''haejanguk'' are added according to the diner's taste. It is said that, when eating ''haejangguk'', if the diner drinks a cup of ''moju'' (母酒) made by boiling a fermented mixture of ''makgeolli'' (a type of rice wine), sugar, and wheat flour, the combination may alleviate a hangover.

There are also ''haejangguk'' with cold soup. On the shore of the Sea of Japan, especially in Uljin County, "ojingeo mulhoe guksu" (오징어물회국수) is eaten as a ''haejangguk''. Finely sliced squid-like noodles are mixed with a sauce and cold water is poured over it along with ice cubes.물회
Nate / Korean dictionary

*''Ugeojiguk'' (우거지국) - made with ugeoji (우거지, outer leaves of napa cabbage)
*''Seonjiguk'' (선짓국) - made with ''seonji'' (선지, coagulated ox blood)
*''Jaecheopguk'' (재첩국) - made with ''jaecheop'' (''Corbicula fluminea'') and ''buchu'' (garlic chives)
*''Gulgukbap'' (굴국밥) - made with oyster and ''buchu''

See also

*Blood as food
* Hangover food
*List of soups
*Hangover drinks in South Korea
*Jjigae

References

Further reading

*

External links

{{Commons category
Haejangguk recipe

Korean soups and stews
Blood dishes