In my last post, I spoke of Korean barbecue meats-- the Expat's food/dish most commonly associated with Korean culture.  In this post as well as the next two posts, I will focus on the most frequently enjoyed dishes in the Korean culinary scene;  the pride and joy of Korean cooking and grubbing down:  soups and stews.

 
Photo:  Boodae-jjigae aka "The Kitchen Sink"

Regardless of the meal, whether it be breakfast, lunch, dinner, mid-night snack or post-drinking elixir, Korean soups and stews each have their own unique properties, tastes and occasions.   Although I usually try to create an exhaustive list of foods within a genre, due to the sheer volume and variety of soups and stews, I regrettably have to limit the numbers here.

Among Expats, a constant source of confusion is understanding the difference between -jjigae (찌개), -tang (탕) and -guk (국).    The scholars appear united in holding that jjigae is "stew", or a thick, non-watery soup.   The dissonance, however, comes between tang and guk.  For the most part, they both mean "soup," but there is not a universally accepted agreement on the difference between them.  In a pinch, guk is typically lighter fare.  Most -jjigae and some -tang are served with rice to mix into the main dish, at your option.

Ok, enough of the preamble!  Let's get the slurp on!

  
Photo:  twenjang-jjigae. Tofu, peppers, meat, baby clams, squash & fermented soybeans

Getting Jjigae With It

 
Photo:  Curry soondubu jjigae--carrots, potatoes, onion and tofu!

Part II & III:  More Korean soups 'n stews, including Tang (탕) and Guk (국)!

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