A Study on the Cooking Science of Guk(Korean Soup) from Old Cookbooks from the Chosun Dynasty($15{\sim}19C$) -Focused on Malgunguk -

고조리서에서 살펴본 조선시대($15{\sim}19C$) 국의 조리과학적 고찰 I -맑은 국을 중심으로-

  • Published : 2008.10.31

Abstract

Guk has been a very important part of the Korean table service for a long time. To study the historical transition of traditional Guk, an analysis of old cookbooks from the Chosun dynasty ($15{\sim}19C$) was conducted based on cooking science. The following is the results of 52 types of Malgunguk from representative old cookbooks such as Sangayorok (1450), Suunjabbang (early 1500s), Eumshikdimibang (1670), Jeungbosallimgyungje (1766), Gyuhabchongsu (1815), Juchan (mid 1800s), Sieuijunsu(late 1800s). The ingredients for Malgunguk contain 30, 35, and 12 types of animal foods, plant foods, and seasonings, respectively. Fish and two to three meats are combined for the main ingredients of Guk, to harmonize the taste. Notably, deer and birds such as pheasants along with parts of beef (short ribs, marrow, Holdaegi) were used. Moreover, it is interesting to note that meat such as pork and chicken were favored to beef, which is contrary to preferences of today. There are only a few Malgunguks that have been passed down before the 16th century those after the 17th century have mostly been reported, but the ingredients have been simplified.

Keywords