The world votes for ‘samgyetang’ as one of Korea’s best dishes

The rise of the chicken dish “samgyetang” as one of the three best dishes of Korea in a survey by foreigners show the continuing rise and heyday of Korean food in the international scene. Samgyetang, usually consumed during the dog days of summer to replenish bodily energy, is emerging as a Korean brand and is a must-eat in Korea. Especially in Asia, the main keywords for the popularity of this chicken dish are “natural food,” “healthy” and “taste.” But the history of samgyetang is not as long as most expect.

The main reason why foreigners love samgyetang is its image as a “health food” being served with fresh ginseng, known for its medical benefits in oriental medicine. Once its moisture dries up, fresh ginseng becomes inconsumable and thus cannot be stored for a long time. However, with the invention of refrigeration in the 1960s, the storage of this important samgyetang ingredient has lengthened in such a way that the dish can now be enjoyed even in various parts of the country. At the same time, the popularity of oriental medicine, especially ginseng, was on the rise at that time, which took part in the popularity of samgyetang today.

Fresh ginseng served in samgyetang is effective in fatigue recovery, gastro protection, and an effective agent for boosting one’s metabolism. Allicin, the organosulfur compound that aid nerve stability and digestion, and germanium, which has anticancer properties, are both found in garlic, an important ingredient for the dish. Garlic is known to purify blood as well. Visual appeal is not quite as good as the properties of its ingredients, and hence, jujube, or Korean date, provides color and texture to the dish.

The author of this article asked her foreigner friend about what he thinks when he eats samgyetang. The author laughed when her friend said that he thinks of the popular Big Mac of the American fastfood chain Mcdonald’s. While the foreigner that this author met highly prasied the natural taste and healthy aspects of samgyetang, according to him, it is still inferior to the taste of the popular Korean fried chicken. While the chickecn soup dish is widely popular in China and Japan among other countries, academic and expert knowledge about this dish still remains relatively unknown. The Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has stated the need for education and promotion of this dish. The author lightly smiles at the thought of strategies to improve the state of samgyetang to win over Korean fried chicken, and ultimately, the world. Chung Hyang-hee Hyatt Regency Jeju Asia Restraurant Chef | Summary by Rigoberto Banta Jr.