Jeongol
Encyclopedia
Jeongol is a category of elaborate stew
s or casserole
s in Korean cuisine. It is similar to the category of Korean stews called jjigae
, with the main difference being that jjigae are generally made with only a single main ingredient, and named after that ingredient (such as kimchi jjigae or sundubu jjigae
), while jeongol usually contain a variety of main ingredients. An additional difference is that jeongol (like gujeolpan
) was originally a dish for upper-class Koreans and members of the royal court
, while jjigae was a simpler dish for commoner
s.
era book Manguksamulkiwon Yeoksa (hangul: 만국사물기원역사, hanja: 萬國事物紀原歷史, "The History of Various Objects from all over the World"), jeongol originated from ancient times when soldiers would cook their food in iron helmets during times of war for lack of cooking utensils. In other Joseon
era documents such as Kyeongdo Jabji (hangul: 경도잡지, hanja: 京都雜志), it is mentioned that jeongol was cooked in a vessel called jeolliptu (전립투, soldier's hat) because it resembled a soldier's helmet. In Siuijeonseo
(hangul: 시의전서, hanja: 是議全書), it is mentioned that thinly sliced seasoned beef was cooked in a pot and sprinkled with pine nut powder, and occasionally cooked with bamboo shoots, baby octopus and oysters.
and/or seafood, vegetable
s, mushroom
s, and other seasonings, which are boiled with a small amount of broth in a jeongolteul (전골틀, pot used for cooking jeongol). They may also include mandu
(dumplings). Some jeongol are spicy, containing added gochujang
or chili pepper
powder, although these ingredients may be omitted. The variety of broth used varies according to the type of jeongol being prepared.
Stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
s or casserole
Casserole
A casserole, from the French for "saucepan", is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a casserole dish or casserole pan...
s in Korean cuisine. It is similar to the category of Korean stews called jjigae
Jjigae
Jjigae is a Korean dish similar to a Western stew. There are many different varieties but it is typically made with meat, seafood or vegetables in a broth seasoned with gochujang, doenjang, ganjang or saeujeot. Jjigae is typically served in a communal dish and boiling hot.A Korean meal almost...
, with the main difference being that jjigae are generally made with only a single main ingredient, and named after that ingredient (such as kimchi jjigae or sundubu jjigae
Sundubu jjigae
Sundubu jjigae is a hot and spicy jjigae dish made with uncurdled dubu , seafood , vegetables, mushrooms, onion, scallions, and gochujang or gochu garu in Korean cuisine. A raw egg is put in the jjigae while it is still boiling...
), while jeongol usually contain a variety of main ingredients. An additional difference is that jeongol (like gujeolpan
Gujeolpan
Gujeolpan refers to either an elaborate Korean dish consisting of nine different foods assorted on a wooden plate with nine divided sections in an octagon shape or the plate itself. The name is composed of three hanja words: gu , jeol , and pan in Korean...
) was originally a dish for upper-class Koreans and members of the royal court
Korean royal court cuisine
Korean royal court cuisine was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910. There has been a revival of this cookery style in the 21st century...
, while jjigae was a simpler dish for commoner
Commoner
In British law, a commoner is someone who is neither the Sovereign nor a peer. Therefore, any member of the Royal Family who is not a peer, such as Prince Harry of Wales or Anne, Princess Royal, is a commoner, as is any member of a peer's family, including someone who holds only a courtesy title,...
s.
History
According to the late JoseonJoseon
Joseon, Chosŏn, Choseon or Chosun are English spellings of the Korean *word for "Korea". It may refer to:*Korea*Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, from 2333 BC to 108 BC.*Joseon Dynasty of Korea, from AD 1392 to 1910....
era book Manguksamulkiwon Yeoksa (hangul: 만국사물기원역사, hanja: 萬國事物紀原歷史, "The History of Various Objects from all over the World"), jeongol originated from ancient times when soldiers would cook their food in iron helmets during times of war for lack of cooking utensils. In other Joseon
Joseon
Joseon, Chosŏn, Choseon or Chosun are English spellings of the Korean *word for "Korea". It may refer to:*Korea*Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, from 2333 BC to 108 BC.*Joseon Dynasty of Korea, from AD 1392 to 1910....
era documents such as Kyeongdo Jabji (hangul: 경도잡지, hanja: 京都雜志), it is mentioned that jeongol was cooked in a vessel called jeolliptu (전립투, soldier's hat) because it resembled a soldier's helmet. In Siuijeonseo
Siuijeonseo
Siuijeonseo is a Korean cookbook compiled in the late 19th century. The author is unknown but is assumed to be a lady of the yangban class in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province. In 1919, as Sim Hwanjin was appointed as the governor of Sangju, he was acquainted with a yangban family there...
(hangul: 시의전서, hanja: 是議全書), it is mentioned that thinly sliced seasoned beef was cooked in a pot and sprinkled with pine nut powder, and occasionally cooked with bamboo shoots, baby octopus and oysters.
Preparation
Jeongol usually contains sliced beefBeef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
and/or seafood, vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s, mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, and other seasonings, which are boiled with a small amount of broth in a jeongolteul (전골틀, pot used for cooking jeongol). They may also include mandu
Mandu (dumpling)
Mandu are dumplings in Korean cuisine. They are similar to pelmeni and pierogi in some Slavic cultures. The name is a cognate to the names of similar types of meat-filled dumplings in Central Asia, such as Turkish manti, Kazakh manty, and Uzbek manti.In Korean cuisine, mandu generally denotes a...
(dumplings). Some jeongol are spicy, containing added gochujang
Gochujang
Gochujang is a savory and pungent fermented Korean condiment. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented over years in large earthen pots outdoors, more often on an elevated stone platform, called jangdokdae in the backyard...
or chili pepper
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
powder, although these ingredients may be omitted. The variety of broth used varies according to the type of jeongol being prepared.
Varieties
- SinseolloSinseolloSinseollo or yeolguja tang is an elaborate dish consisting of meatballs, small and round jeonyueo , mushrooms, and vegetables cooked in a rich broth in Korean royal court cuisine. The dish is a form of jeongol...
(신선로) - a variety of jeongol formerly served in Korean royal court cuisine - Haemul jeongol (해물전골) - made with seafood
- Nakji jeongol (낙지전골) - made with small octopusOctopusThe octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
- Sogogi jeongol (소고기전골) - made with beef but no seafood
- Mandu jeongol (만두전골) - made with mandu
- Dubu jeongol (두부전골) - made with tofuTofuis a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...
- Beoseot jeongol (버섯전골) - made with mushrooms
- Gopchang jeongolGopchang jeongolGopchang jeongol is a spicy Korean stew or casserole made by boiling beef tripe, vegetables, and seasonings in beef broth. Gopchang refers to small intestines of cattle or chitterlings, while jeongol refers to a category of stew or casserole in Korean cuisine...
(곱창전골) - made with beef offalOffalOffal , also called, especially in the United States, variety meats or organ meats, refers to the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but includes most internal organs other than... - Gaksaek jeongol, (각색전골) - made with various ingredients.
See also
- JjigaeJjigaeJjigae is a Korean dish similar to a Western stew. There are many different varieties but it is typically made with meat, seafood or vegetables in a broth seasoned with gochujang, doenjang, ganjang or saeujeot. Jjigae is typically served in a communal dish and boiling hot.A Korean meal almost...
, another category of stew from Korea - SinseolloSinseolloSinseollo or yeolguja tang is an elaborate dish consisting of meatballs, small and round jeonyueo , mushrooms, and vegetables cooked in a rich broth in Korean royal court cuisine. The dish is a form of jeongol...
- Korean royal court cuisineKorean royal court cuisineKorean royal court cuisine was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910. There has been a revival of this cookery style in the 21st century...
- List of Korean dishes