Samgyetang

A small whole chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice and simmered with ginseng, garlic and jujube into a restorative milky broth. Koreans eat it on the hottest summer days to fight heat with heat.

Samgyetang, or ginseng chicken soup, is a traditional Korean dish with roots in the royal court cuisine of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). Its exact origin is debated, but it is widely associated with the Korean practice of "yi yeol chi yeol" — combating summer heat with hot food — and has been a staple of the summer solstice (Chobok, Jungbok, and Malbok) for centuries. The dish's modern form, featuring a whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, garlic, jujube, and ginseng, reflects a blend of indigenous ingredients and influences from Chinese medicinal cuisine.

Regional variations across Korea are subtle but notable: in the northern areas, the broth is often lighter and less seasoned, while southern versions may add chestnuts, ginseng root slices, or even small amounts of ginger or Korean pear for sweetness. Some contemporary variations use black chicken (samgyetang with black-skinned fowl) for a richer, more nutrient-dense broth, though the classic white chicken remains most common. Culturally, samgyetang is not just a meal but a seasonal ritual — a communal dish shared with family or friends on the hottest days of summer, believed to restore energy and balance the body's "qi" (vital energy), embodying the Korean philosophy of food as medicine.