[Food]

[Food] Sundaetguk (Korean Blood Sausage Soup, 순댓국)

Sundaetguk is one of the most typical and familiar foods in Korea; it's cheap and folksy :)

What do men in your country eat when hungry but can't think of a particular dish? Fish and Chips? McDonalds? Meat Pie? Chinese fastfood? In Korea, we just go to any nearby sundaetguk seller :)

Sundaetguk consists of sundae (Korean blood sausage) and pork stock, which are very simple and quick to serve because restaurants usually cook them before they open and just re-heat them before serving. So it's not wrong to say sundaetguk can be considered a Korean-style fast food.

Sundae (Korean blood sausage) had been made with dog's intestines since the 1670s before being gradually substituted to cow's, then pig's, intestine. Today's sundae is all made of pig's intestines. Some sensitive eaters don't eat sundaetguk because 'it smells too much of pig'. Well, I think that's acceptable!

Sundaetguk is a very stodgy food too, since it contains more parts of pork with sundae, which is filled with sweet potato noodle, minced pork, pork's blood and vegetables. Quick, hot, stodgy and cheap - what food it is, isn't it? This is why Korean men (and women) love to eat sundaetguk as a casual meal :)

Moreover, sundaetguk is served with various kinds of kimchi and side dishes that give a tasty kick to enjoy sundaetguk. Sundaetguk soup is very mild and savory, but people pour kimchi's juice into it to give it a spicy and sour kick.

Sundaetguk is also symbolic of hot folksy meal because it can fill your tummy easily. So you can see people eating sundaetguk a lot with soju in many Korean dramas and films. In fact, people usually think of sundaetguk when they are hungry on their way home after a long day's work. Sundaetguk has meat, soup and steamed rice. What more do you need?

If you have the chance to visit a Korean restaurant, try sundaetguk :) This Korean-style meaty soup may give you power for your hard day :)

Bon Appétit!