Samgyetang is a whole young chicken stuffed with sticky rice, ginseng, jujube and garlic, then simmered in a clear broth. Koreans call it “fighting heat with heat” — eating something hot to recover from the summer heat.
Boknal: the summer soup days
The three hottest days of the Korean summer calendar — chobok, jungbok and malbok — are known as boknal, and eating samgyetang on these days is a long tradition. Expect long lines at well-known restaurants at lunchtime.
How to eat it
Pull the tender meat apart with your chopsticks and dip it in salt and pepper. The rice inside turns into a soft porridge in the broth — finish every spoonful. It goes well with kimchi or kkakdugi.