 | |
| Alternative names | tan'gogikuk (North Korea),gaejangguk,gaejang,gujang,jiyangtang,sacheoltang |
|---|---|
| Type | Guk (tang) |
| Place of origin | Korea |
| Main ingredients | Dog meat, vegetables, spices |
| North Korean name | |
| Hangul | 단고기국 |
| RR | dangogiguk |
| MR | tan'gogiguk |
| IPA | tan.ɡo.ɡi.k͈uk̚ |
| South Korean name | |
| Hangul | 보신탕 |
| Hanja | 補身湯 |
| RR | bosintang |
| MR | posint'ang |
| IPA | po.ɕin.tʰaŋ |
Bosintang[a] (Korean: 보신탕, South Korean name) ortan'gogikuk (단고기국, North Korean name) is aKorean soup (guk) that usesdog meat as its primary ingredient. The meat is boiled with vegetables such asgreen onions,perilla leaves, anddandelions, and flavorants such asdoenjang,gochujang, and perilla seed powder.[1] It is seasoned withagastache rugosa before eating. The soup has been claimed to provide increasedvirility.[2]
The dish, as with alldog meat consumption in South Korea, has become highly controversial in recent decades. There are now a number of significant legal restrictions around the butchering of dogs. According to a 2020 survey of South Koreans, 83.8% have never eaten dog meat before.
Most scholars agree that people on the Korean peninsula have consumed dog meat for thousands of years. The history ofbosintang is more recent. A 1849 bookDongguksesigi contains a recipe forbosintang that includes boiled dog andgreen onion.[3]Bosintang was also consumed inNorth Korea, and was served at dinner parties hosted byKim Jong Il before he became leader of the country.[4]
In June 2018, a South Korean municipal court ruled that killing dogs for their meat was illegal, though this law did not make it illegal to consume dog meat.[5] According to a 2020 survey conducted by theHumane Society International of 1,000 South Koreans, 83.8% had never consumed dog meat and had no plans to ever do so. 58.6% supported the outright ban of its consumption, with 57% of people responding that it had a negative impact on international perceptions of South Korea.[6]
On January 9, 2024, the South Korean parliament passed a law prohibiting the breeding and slaughter of dogs for consumption which will take effect in 2027 following a three-year grace period.[7]
At the tables laid out around the dancing area, party cadres and Central Committee officers were eating the finest food, both Western (lobster, steak, pastries) and Korean (including cold noodles, kimchi, bonshintang or dog soup, shark-fin soup, jokbal or pig's feet in soy sauce and spices, bears' feet flown in from Russia).
