A bowl of boshintang

Boshintang (보신탕; 補身湯), or Gaejangguk (개장국, -醬-) is a Korean soup that includes dog meat as its primary ingredient.^[1] The soup has been claimed to provide increased virility.^[2] The meat is boiled with vegetables such as green onions, perilla leaves, and dandelions, and spices such as Doenjang (된장), Gochujang (고추장), and perilla seed powder.^[3] It is seasoned with Agastache rugosa to remove the stench of dog meat before eating. The dish, one of the most common Korean foods made from dog meat, has a long history in Korean culture, but has in recent years been criticized both inside and outside Korea due to concerns about animal rights and sanitation.

History[link]

The consumption of dog meat can be traced back to antiquity. Dog bones were excavated in a neolithic settlement in Changnyeong (창녕), South Gyeongsang Province. A wall painting in the Goguryeo tombs complex (고구려 고분군; 高句麗 古墳群) in South Hwangghae Province, a UNESCO World Heritage site which dates from 4th century AD, depicts a slaughtered dog in a storehouse (Ahn, 2000).^[4]

Approximately in 1816, Jeong Hak Yu (정학유; 丁學遊), the second son of Jeong Yak-yong (정약용; 丁若鏞), a prominent politician and scholar of Choseon dynasty at the time, wrote a poem called Nongawollyeonga (농가월령가; 農家月令歌). This poem, an important source of Korean folk history, describes what ordinary Korean farmer families did in each month of a year. in the description of August, the poem sings about a married woman visiting her birth parents with boiled dog meat, rice cake, and rice wine, thus shows the popularity of dog meat at the time (Ahn, 2000; Seo, 2002).

In Dongguk Seshigi (동국세시기; 東國歲時記), a book written by a Korean scholar Hong Suk Mo (홍석모; 洪錫謨) in 1849, contains a recipe of Boshintang including a boiled dog and green onion.^[4]

Since 1986, Boshintang has been ostensibly banned by the Korean government. However, it is still regularly consumed and can be found easily at many restaurants across South Korea. ^[5]

Names[link]

There are many different names for this dish in the Korean language, some of which may be considered euphemisms.

Controversy[link]

See also[link]

• Korean cuisine
• [What does it Korean Dog Soup taste like http://www.overlander.tv/2012/korean-dog-soup-bosintang-보신탕/}

Notes[link]

^a Not to be confused with the homophone "게장" (gejang; marinated crabs) or "육개장" (Yukgaejang; beef soup).

References[link]