Gamjatang (감자탕)

What is Gamjatang?

Gamjatang (감자탕) is a hearty stew of pork neck bones simmered until the meat slips off, in a spicy broth with potatoes, perilla seed powder, and dried napa greens (ugeoji). It is a late-night and hangover institution, served bubbling in wide pots for the table, with the smaller single-serve version called ppyeo-haejangguk. Picking the bones clean with chopsticks and fingers is the accepted technique.

How to eat it

1. Work the meat off the backbone with chopsticks and fingers — gloves or extra napkins are normal, not rude.
2. Dip the meat in the perilla-seed dipping sauce; eat the potato whole.
3. Finish with bokkeumbap or kalguksu noodles in the leftover broth if the restaurant offers it.

Good to know

• Bones are heavy and the pot is deep — use the tongs, and expect to get your hands involved.
• Perilla (deulkkae) features heavily — it's an unusual flavor for first-timers and occasionally an allergen.

Also the definitive 3 a.m. hangover food; 24-hour gamjatang joints anchor most nightlife districts. 'Ppyeo-haejangguk' is the single-serving version.

Related foods

뼈다귀해장국 · HaejanggukOften eaten together Pork-bone 'hangover soup' — the heavy-duty morning-after fix. 배추김치 · KimchiOften eaten together Fermented napa cabbage — the one dish on every Korean table. 순대국 · Sundae GukOften eaten together Hearty pork broth loaded with Korean blood sausage. 김치찌개 · Kimchi JjigaeSame family · pork Sour-aged kimchi stew, usually with pork — the national comfort food. 된장찌개 · Doenjang JjigaeMilder alternative Fermented soybean-paste stew with tofu and vegetables.