Origin Of Military Hot Pot

Created during wartime, military hot pot is now a national dish in Korea.
Origin of military hot pot
Budae jjigae, or military hot pot, is one of the most loved dishes in Korea. Hotpot is a combination of fish balls, tokbokki, sausages, kimchi, noodles, onions, chili powder ..

. and foreign ingredients such as canned meat, cheese.
Not only is the national dish of the Korean people, budae jjigae is also included in the list of must-try dishes of visitors here. Photo: Atlas Obscura
Its birthplace is a sad story.



During the war, people struggled with food shortages and the shops rarely had meat stockpiles. Meanwhile, in Uijeongbu city (about an hour's drive from Seoul), an American military base has a lot of canned meat. Korean chefs have come up with innovative dishes from limited resources. They lined up outside the military barracks to buy and even pick up cans of food scraps from US soldiers.
Canned meat is quite expensive and salty so they need to be saved. Koreans have added kimchi, garlic, vegetables, chili sauce, instant noodles, canned beans, cheese, sausage and ham. The finished product is a spicy hotpot, with a wonderful blend of canned meat, cheese and vegetables they named the army hotpot budae jjigae ("budae" means "military business" and "jjigae" meaning "Hot pot", "soup" or "stew")
Koreans often eat this dish at noon, especially students and office workers.



Photo: Seoulian.
Meat scarcity continued in the postwar period. The war destroyed factories and houses and about 10% of the Korean population was lost. Among the starving Koreans that survived, many continued to develop budae jjigae. However, the government at that time disagreed and ordered a ban on Koreans from buying American products.
This creates a "black market" that sells ingredients for military hot pot cooking. Retail stores for American soldiers stationed in Korea became places selling canned meat. This was considered illegal until a Korean company started manufacturing it in the 1980s.




After the US product ban was lifted, budae jjigae has grown into a nationally popular dish. With historical significance, this dish is described by sociologist Grace M. Cho as "an adventure of cuisine".
Nowadays, budae jjigae appear on the menus of most restaurants, especially in the university area. Many people are unaware of its historical story, they simply eat it because they like the taste. According to Mr. Lee Ok-hyang, owner of a restaurant, the secret to making delicious budae jjigae is kimchi. Kimchi needs to be fermented enough, for at least a year or two.




Budae Jjigae is served at restaurants in Korea and parts of the world. Even in Uijeongbu province, the origin of the military hotpot, there is a street named this dish. Some restaurants here have sold military hot pot since the end of the war (1953) until now. A hearty meal with budae jjigae costs about 9,000 - 20,000 won (170,000 - 380,000 VND) per person.
Some addresses suggest to enjoy military hot pot:
- Boyeong Sikdang Restaurant at 214-127, Uijeongbu1-dong, Uijeongbu city, Gyeonggi province.
- The subway station area near Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul.
- Daewoo Budaejjigae Restaurant at 641-18, Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam, Seoul.
According to Ngan Duong / Star
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