Korea has a unique culture called ‘Boknal,’ which refers to the hottest time of the year. On Boknal, people visit valleys or mountains to escape from the heat or have healthy foods to restore energy. Boknal is usually from mid-July to mid-August and it is often called as sambok because it consists of three separate days, chobok (first), jungbok (second), and malbok (third). Each designated day has 10 days of interval.
This year, chobok is on July 11, jungbok is on July 21, and malbok is on August 10. The most famous food for boknal is samgyetang (chicken soup with ginseng), but the food for Boknal became diverse as people have different tastes.
In summer, many Koreans often choose to eat soups for hydration. Popular dishes for these days include Korean traditional soups and porridge like samgyetang, yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), seolleongtang (ox bone soup), and jeonbokjuk (rice porridge with abalone). Grilled eel and black goat are also popular as they are highly nutritious. Koreans also eat cold food such as watermelons or naengmyeon (cold noodles) on hot days.
How about trying some healthy Korean foods on this upcoming boknal? There is also a Korean saying, i-yeol-chi-yeol, which means to control heat by heat. The phrase is often used in time when people eat hot food to overcome summer heat! We hope you spend the summer healthy with delicious and nutritious food!
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