Guk is largely categorized into four groups of soups, such as
malgeun jangguk (),
gomguk (),
tojangguk (), and naengguk ().
Malgeun jangguk literally means "clear (
malgeun, 맑은) soup (
guk, 국) seasoned with a condiment (
jang, 장)," such as
doenjang (soy bean paste) or
ganjang, and is served in a
bansang (반상, regular meal table). The main ingredients for
malgeun jangguk are meat, fish, vegetables, and seafoods.
Gomguk, also called
gomtang, refers to either a heartier, thicker soup broth made by boiling various beef parts such as rib, oxtail, brisket, head, and so forth for a long time, or made with ox bone by the same method. The broth of
gomguk tends to have a milky color and to be rich and hearty taste. This type of broth produces many health benefits, like collagen and minerals due to the long process of boiling meat bones for hours. It can also be made with
chicken or pork bone, to produce
samgyetang or
gamjatang.
Tojangguk are based on
doenjang broth and
ssaltteumul (쌀뜨물, leftover water after washing rice for cooking). The taste is typically savory and deep, with a rich umami taste from the fermented soybean paste.
Naengguk are cold soups usually eaten in summer. These soups are usually fresh, clean and tangy, such as with
oi-naengguk (오이냉국, cold cucumber) and
miyeok-naengguk (미역냉국, cold wakame soup).
Kkaet-guk (깻국, sesame soup), made with chicken and sesame seeds, is thicker and is made to replenish and supplement nutrients during hot weather. This tradition is practiced by Koreans to match their body temperature with the season, a cultural norm believed to produce many health benefits.
Malgeun jangguk , small shellfish soup one of malgeun jangguk'' •
Tteokguk (),
tteok (rice cake) soup •
Miyeok-guk (),
wakame (edible seaweed) soup •
Kong-namul-guk (), made with
kongnamul •
Mu-guk (), made with
radish •
Gamja-guk (), made with potato •
Toran-guk (), made with taro •
Bugeo-guk (), made with dried Alaska pollock •
Bok-guk/bogeo-tang (/복어탕), made with
puffer fish •
Jogae-guk (), made with shellfish •
Jaecheop-guk (), soup made with
jaecheop (small clams,
Corbicula fluminea) harvested in rivers of
Gyeongsang Province Gomguk • Beef •
Gomguk/
gomtang (/, ): •
Sagol gomtang (), pale-bone broths garnished with oxtail or sliced brisket •
Kkori gomtang (), ox tail soup •
Seolleongtang (): ox leg bone soup simmered for more than 10 hours until the soup is milky-white. Usually served in a bowl containing
somyeon and pieces of beef. Sliced
scallions and black pepper are used as condiments •
Galbi-tang (), made with
galbi or beef ribs •
Yukgaejang (), beef soup with red chili flakes, soy sauce and bean sprouts •
Dogani-tang (), soup from knuckles and bones • Chicken and pork •
Samgye-tang (), a soup made with Cornish game hens that are stuffed with
ginseng, a
hedysarum,
glutinous rice,
jujubes, garlic, and chestnuts; the soup is traditionally eaten in the summer •
Gamja-tang (감자탕, "potato stew"), a spicy soup made with pork spine, vegetables (especially potatoes), and hot peppers; the vertebrae are usually separated, and the dish is often served as a late night snack but may also be served for lunch or dinner •
Dwaeji-gukbap (), a representative regional hearty pork-parts soup with rice of coastal Gyeongsang-do
Tojangguk Tojangguk are eaten all year round. The term emerged in the 1930s in Korean cookbooks. •
Sigeumchi tojangguk (), made with spinach •
Auk tojangguk (), made with
malva •
Naengi tojangguk (), made with
horseradish •
Ugeoji-guk (), made with
ugeoji (우거지, dried
napa cabbage) •
Daseulgi-guk (), made with
freshwater snails (다슬기,
Semisulcospira libertina)
Naengguk Naengguk refers to all kinds of cold soups, mainly eaten in summer. They are also called
changuk (literally "cold soup") in
pure Korean while the term
naengguk is a combination of a
Hanja word and a pure Korean word with the same meaning. The first historical record on
naengguk appears in a poem written by
Yi Gyu-bo (1168–1241), a high officer of the
Goryeo period (918–1392).
Naengguk is referred to as "sungaeng" in the poem, which literally means
sunchaeguk, soup made with
sunchae (
Brasenia schreberi). Yi praised its clear and plain taste.
Naengguk is generally divided into two categories according to taste and ingredients. One group of
naengguk is made by mixing chilled water and vinegar to give a sweet and sour taste; examples include
miyeok naengguk made with
wakame,
oi naengguk made with cucumber,
pa naengguk made with spring onions,
nameul naengguk made with garlic, and
gim naengguk made with
gim or
nori. The other group is made to supplement health and has rich tastes, such as chilled soup made with chicken, sesame, or soy bean. •
Oi-naengguk (), cold cucumber soup •
Kkaet-guk (), hearty cold soup made with chicken and ground sesame seeds •
Naeng-kong-guk (), made with ground soybeans and can be used for
kong-guksu •
Kong-namul-naengguk (), made with
kongnamul ==Ingredients==