As American as apple pie (well, almost)

In honor of American Independence Day, I wanted to post a something about Korea that was uniquely American. Something that spoke of both countries love of freedom, of comradery, and food.

Completely lacking anything original, I am instead stealing linking to ZenKimchi’s post about the origins of the popular “Korean dish” budae chigae (부대찌개).

(picture credit: ZenKimchi)

It is basically spam and hot dog stew. In English, it loosely translates to “Army Base Stew.” From what I’ve gathered from different sources, it was created during and soon after the Korean War, where the locals used U.S. Army surplus meats (notably spam and hot dogs) in their traditional stews. It sounds disgusting, but it has to be the best recipe for spam in the world.

Another story is that it was created as a cheap familiar-tasting food for American and Korean soldiers off-base. This is likely why the Itaewon area near the U.S. Army base in Seoul is known for having the best budae jjigae. And it tastes very American.

So, there you have it, what better way to celebrate the Fourth than with some fireworks (also a popular Korean pasttime), and a giant pot of 부대찌개. You can get the recipe from ZK’s post.

Eat it with a patriot you love.