For me, the first thing that pops up in my mind when the word culture comes up is the food. The items that people generally think of Korean food are bulgogi (marinated beef), japchae (stir fried noodles), kimchi (fermented vegetables), bibimbap (mixed rice), or soondae (blood sausage). What many people don’t know about is the commonly eaten Korean soup called miyeokguk (미역국). Miyeok means seaweed and guk (pronounced with a long u) means soup. This soup can be seen in many Korean dramas and variety shows. Although I have been around this soup my whole life, I learned more while researching this soup.
According to one source, the origin of this food dates back to the Goryeo Dynasty when people had observed and quickly learned that after delivering a calf, whales would eat seaweed to heal. Another source indicated that the Goryeo people just liked eating seaweed and would make this soup for its taste. Nowadays, it is a tradition for mothers to eat miyeokguk after giving birth (it is actually the leading postpartum food in Korea) and also for people to eat this on their birthday. It is said that this food purifies blood, detoxifies the body, and helps the metabolism process. It’s very healthy for the mother and child because it contains a high level of calcium which will be important for nursing mothers. Usually a close relative or friend will bring the mother this seaweed soup so that she can heal quickly.
When I was younger, my grandparents and relatives would call me to ask, “Did Mom make you miyeokguk today?” and I was always confused why they would ask me that question until I was told this tradition. Since the mother had this soup after giving birth, the child has the same type of soup on their birthday as a thanks to their mother.
Another interesting fact I learned was that many people in Korea don’t have miyeokguk on the day of an exam or on the day of a job interview. This is because seaweed is slippery and gives the idea of slipping up and failing (or doing bad). That’s why some would “I had miyeokguk!” if they didn’t do well. What they do eat instead on these important days as a sign of good luck are chapssaltteok (Korean style mochi) or yeot (Korean traditional taffy) because they are sticky.
Like many foods, there are so many varieties of miyeokguk that can be made such as one with beef, another that has more seafood such as mussels and oysters, and another type with potatoes. Whichever recipe is made, the ingredients seem to be fairly minimal. The one for miyeokguk with beef contains dried seaweed, beef brisket, sesame oil, soup soy sauce, minced garlic, and water. I like how easy it is to make and that even though it is eaten for birthdays, it can be a side dish on any given day as well. It’s healthy, low in calorie, and I always feel refreshed after having this delicious soup.
Comments
I really like your post! Thank you so much for your detailed post! food is always more than satisfying hunger. It is the reflection of one culture's history and values. Just as you mentioned in the post, the soap in Korean culture represents gratitude and respect. Also, food is related to memory as well. I believe that next time when you have miyeokguk again, you will remember your birthday and your mom.
Thank you for this post, I learned a lot of new things! It is such a sweet tradition of having the same soup as your mother as a way of showing gratitude. I found it most interesting to know that the same dish 'miyeokguk' can be considered good in one circumstance, and bad in another.
Hi Somyung~
Thank you for your detailed post! Food is also one of the first things that I think of when the word culture is mentioned. I think Korean culture is even more deeply connected to breaking bread (or rice) together as most holidays and celebrations can't go on without food. 미역국 is one of my favorites and I like to have it regardless of the occasion.
Great post! Miyeokguk with beef is definitely my favorite. My mom makes me Miyeokguk every birthday. I don't think it particularly goes well with rice, but I think having the soup alone is really good. It really is refreshing and calming when you eat it. Sometimes my mom puts rice balls/cakes in it (새알) and it's really good.
Hi So Myung! I love food so much and reading about this post made me so hungry. I actually first read about this soup when I was researching Korean birthday celebrations and Doljanchi. I thought the soup looked pretty tasty when I was researching it and I was happy to read about it again in your post. The origin of the soup was fascinating and it makes sense that seaweed was thought to originally have healing abilities. I also thought the superstitions surrounding seaweed were interesting to read about. Do you have any good luck or bad luck foods or traditions? Thinking about how much I like to eat the seaweed strips from ETC I really want to try this soup now! Thank you for sharing, So Myung! :)
Hey Somyung, this was a really interesting post! Every food item you named made me more hungry and hungry as I sit behind this computer screen. Every birthday, my mom made me miyeokguk too. I didn't realize until I spent my birthday in college that I would miss this soup and her so much. Also, I never knew that people do not eat 미역국 on the day of an exam or on important days. Also, have you tried miyeokguk with 떡? It's actually better than you think, so give it a try one day if you can :)
Hi So Myung I have seen people eating miyeokguk on their birthdays in some Korean dramas too, but I did not understand it either. Now that I know the meaning behind miyeokguk as thanks to mom, I would understand this tradition better. It is also interesting to me that people want to avoid the soup because it has the idea of slipping up. Thanks for sharing this!