Korean food is a known visual and gastronomic delight, but above this is the importance of eating healthy food. Koreans ascribe to the belief that eating healthy will help one stay healthy; hence, Korean cuisine is not only visually arresting – but also nutritious.
This belief is integrated in their boyangsik cuisine, a set of meals that Koreans eat in the summer to help them recover lost energies from the summer heat, and at the same time rejuvenate them with a wealth of protein, vitamins, and ironically, heat.
Seolleongtang is one of this many boyangsik choices under the meat-based broth category. Seolleongtang, while more of a winter choice than a summer cuisine, is set apart by its milky white broth due to the continued simmering of an ox’s bones, head, meat and entrails for ten long hours. The ten hours perhaps is a fitting compliment to the seolleongtang’s 600-year-history that dates back to a ritual dedicated to the gods performed during the Joseon dynasty.
As a medicinal food, seolleongtang is a meat-based soup and meats are considered a good source of protein. The long cooking time enriches the broth with amino acids that help in the transport and storage of nutrients, also aiding in tissue repair and wound healing.
*photo source: https://blog.naver.com/mermaid_kk/220098992395
