With the Lunar Calendar there are three hot days during summer. Chobok, Joongbok, and Malbok which represent the first hot day, middle hot day and final hot day. This year, they were July 19, July 29, and August 8. Koreans are served fine food like Samgyetang (chicken stew) and Choouhtang (mudfish) to strengthen the body which is weakened by the hot weather.

Samgyetang is chicken stew which contains ginseng. Other medicinal herbs like wolfberry and angelica sinensis could be used. The young chicken, which is good enough for one person, can be used for Samgyetang. Like a turkey meal on Thanksgiving Day, all of the ingredients has to be placed inside the chicken’s cavity and you must close the flaps over the cavity (use the skewer or sew with thread). After that, put it in a pot, about half filled with water, and boil it for many hours. It is served with pepper and salt. Spicy red chili pepper paste can be added to enrich its flavors and taste to one’s preference. Samgyetang is a representative food in Korea during the summer.

Chyeotang is also one of the Korean traditional health foods for the summer season with rich flavors. The rich soup stock boiled with grinded mudfish (sometimes whole mudfish can be used) and dried Chinese cabbage, beef, tofu and mungbean sprouts will provide extraordinary tastes and flavors. Mudfish has high protein content and excellent amino acids composition. Also, it is rich in vitamin B, vitamin D, vitamin A, calcium and iron. Slippery mucus increases protein absorption and production. Because Chyeotang uses the whole of mudfish including its bones and inner organs, it is a good dish for growing children and middle-aged women who are concerned with osteoporosis due to the low amount of calcium. It is served with minced red peppers, whole green pepper and Chinese pepper powder.

Why do Koreans cook a warm dish like Samgyetang or Choouhtang during the summer? When people sweat, internal body temperature significantly decreases and this causes harmful effects to the stomach and liver. Koreans say that people eat the hot dish to prevent that and also to improve one’s appetite in the hot weather.

John J. Lee is a freelance writer and developer for a Korean restaurants network.

Barbecue is one of the most popular types of Korean cuisine. The fact is, people of different nationalities enjoy this cuisine so much that when they hear about Korean food, barbecue would be the first to come in their mind. The popularity of barbecue is the main reason why Korean-themed restaurants are never complete without offering it. No matter where you go, most of these restaurants sell barbecue and show it as their specialty. Barbecue is a good seller that most restaurant customers don’t leave unless they have tried it. The Korean method of preparing and cooking barbecue is so unique that customers can differentiate it with the barbecue cuisines of other countries. Many Korean restaurant often offer the galbi form of barbecue. This barbecue is made from the short ribs of beef or pork that are marinated with a sauce. The sauce is usually made from ganjang, sugar and garlic. Ganjang is a type of soy sauce made from soybeans. These restaurants also offer other kinds of marinated meat such as {chicken and pork!pork and chicken}. Also, meats that are not marinated are available for those that prefer it that way. Usually Korean barbeque is served with side dishes for a more delicious and heavy meal. One of the most popular side dish served is the Pajori, which is a green onion salad. Another favorite side dish is a mixture of fresh vegetables such as pepper, cucumber, and lettuce. A common way to eat the barbecue is to contain it with lettuce along with a small handful of rice, and added with spices or the spicy dipping paste which is known as ssamjang. Ssamjang is a sauce mixed between dwenjang and gochujang. You may ponder how the barbecue is cooked. The barbecue is prepared and cooked right in front of the customers’ table. The tables are made with grills or portable stoves wherein the meat is roasted and grilled right in front of the customers’ face. Aside from the barbecue itself, the form of preparing and grilling the meat while the customers view the cooking phase is one of the reasons why a Korean restaurant is one of the most popular food destinations. Customers enjoy watching their foods being prepared and cooked. Aside from that, they can also see that whatever they are putting in their mouth are prepared and cooked in a safe and clean manner. Even though many restaurants have staff who will cook the food, many customers prefer grilling their own food. Aside from barbecue, another well-known Korean dish is the Tteokguk. Tteokguk is commonly prepared and eaten during the New Year’s Day. Koreans believe that eating such food on the New Year will give luck for the next year. This dish is a soup with rice cakes. It could also include cooked eggs, marinated meat, and gim which is a kind of dried seaweed.