Janchi guksu
Encyclopedia
Janchi guksu is a Korean noodle dish consisting of wheat flour noodles in a light broth made from anchovy
and sometimes also dasima
(kombu
). Beef
broth may be substituted for the anchovy broth. It is served with a sauce made from sesame oil
, ganjang, and small amounts of chili pepper powder and scallion
s. Thinly sliced jidan (지단, fried egg), gim (laver), and zucchini
are added on top of the dish as garnishes.
word janchi (잔치, literally "feast" or "banquet"), because the noodle dish has been eaten for special occasions like wedding feasts, birthday parties, or hwangap (60th birthday celebration) throughout Korea. The word guksu means "noodles" in Korean, and noodles symbolise longevity - in life, in a marriage.
There are records of guksu dating back to the Goryeo
period. In the book Dongguk Isangguk Jeonjip Book 6 (hangul:동국이상국전집 6, hanja:東國李相國全集) there is a mention of guksu in a line of poetry, and in the book Goryeo Dokyeong (hangul:고려도경, hanja:高麗圖經) written by an envoy from the Chinese Song Dynasty
it is mentioned that guksu was eaten on special occasions as wheat was rare and expensive in Goryeo
. (The most common ingredients for noodles were buckwheat
or starch
.)
Anchovy
Anchovies are a family of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are 144 species in 17 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish.-Description:...
and sometimes also dasima
Kombu
Kombu or konbu , also called dashima or haidai , is edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in East Asia....
(kombu
Kombu
Kombu or konbu , also called dashima or haidai , is edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in East Asia....
). Beef
Beef
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...
broth may be substituted for the anchovy broth. It is served with a sauce made from sesame oil
Sesame oil
Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. Besides being used as a cooking oil in South India, it is often used as a flavor enhancer in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and to a lesser extent Southeast Asian cuisine.The oil from the nutrient rich seed is popular in alternative...
, ganjang, and small amounts of chili pepper powder and scallion
Scallion
Scallions , are the edible plants of various Allium species, all of which are "onion-like", having hollow green leaves and lacking a fully developed root bulb.-Etymology:The words...
s. Thinly sliced jidan (지단, fried egg), gim (laver), and zucchini
Zucchini
The zucchini is a summer squash which often grows to nearly a meter in length, but which is usually harvested at half that size or less. It is a hybrid of the cucumber. Along with certain other squashes, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini can be dark or light green...
are added on top of the dish as garnishes.
History
The name derives from the KoreanKorean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
word janchi (잔치, literally "feast" or "banquet"), because the noodle dish has been eaten for special occasions like wedding feasts, birthday parties, or hwangap (60th birthday celebration) throughout Korea. The word guksu means "noodles" in Korean, and noodles symbolise longevity - in life, in a marriage.
There are records of guksu dating back to the Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
period. In the book Dongguk Isangguk Jeonjip Book 6 (hangul:동국이상국전집 6, hanja:東國李相國全集) there is a mention of guksu in a line of poetry, and in the book Goryeo Dokyeong (hangul:고려도경, hanja:高麗圖經) written by an envoy from the Chinese Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
it is mentioned that guksu was eaten on special occasions as wheat was rare and expensive in Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
. (The most common ingredients for noodles were buckwheat
Buckwheat
Buckwheat refers to a variety of plants in the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, the North American genus Eriogonum, and the Northern Hemisphere genus Fallopia. Either of the latter two may be referred to as "wild buckwheat"...
or starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
.)
Popular culture
Because the noodles are traditionally eaten at weddings, the expression "When are you going to feed us guksu?" is a way of asking "When are you going to get married?" and a wedding day might be referred as "a day to eat guksu".External links
- Janchi guksu recipe at the Koreanline Inc. & YM Production Janchi guksu recipe made with beef broth