How ham and sausage came to Korea’s budae-jjigae

Did budae-jjigae begin as a stew? The story told in Uijeongbu starts with a stir-fry. After the Korean War, ham and sausage from nearby US bases were fried with onions and cabbage and served with drinks. With kimchi and stock, the same ingredients became a stew to eat with rice. Instant noodles came later.

Some cooks in Songtan melted cheese into the broth to give it more body. In Itaewon, Bada Sikdang put “Johnson-tang” on its menu. The ham and sausage travelled from one neighbourhood to another, and the recipes and names changed along the way.

From a stir-fry to a stew in Uijeongbu

After the Korean War, ham, sausage and bacon circulated around US military bases. People called it budae-gogi, or “base meat.” The name recorded where the meat came from at a time when food was scarce. It also explains why those particular meats found their way into a Korean stew.

The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture describes Heo Gi-suk, who ran a street stall in Uijeongbu from 1960. Early preparations included sautéing ham and sausage with cabbage and onions in butter. Kimchi, gochujang and stock turned the fried dish into something diners could spoon up with rice. Heo registered the name Odeng Sikdang in 1968. Other shops opened nearby, forming what is now Uijeongbu’s Budae-jjigae Street.

Instant ramyeon appeared in Korea in 1963. According to the encyclopedia, it was too expensive at first to use as an extra in the stew. The ham and the noodles, so closely associated with budae-jjigae now, belong to different stages of its history.

A thicker broth in Songtan

Gyeonggi Province’s account describes the broth at Uijeongbu’s Odeng Sikdang as clean and refreshing. At Gimne-jip in Songtan, Pyeongtaek, cheese melts into a pot already full of ham and meat, giving the broth more body. The province’s sample Songtan recipe also includes pork-bone stock and baked beans.

Those are examples, and individual kitchens make their own choices. The difference comes through in a spoonful of broth. In one pot, kimchi brings the sharpness forward. In another, cheese and meat give the broth a fuller texture.

The name that stayed in Itaewon

A version also appeared around the US base in Yongsan. Bada Sikdang, which opened in Itaewon in the late 1970s, served the dish as Johnson-tang. The encyclopedia traces the nickname to US President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The pot in Gasan brought ham, sausage and noodles together. The name budae still points to where the meat came from. The route from a stir-fry to a stew, the cheese that melts into the broth and the name on an Itaewon menu show how much happened after those ingredients left the base.

Sources

Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
Uijeongbu City · Budae-jjigae Street
Gyeonggi Province · Uijeongbu and Songtan