Did you know?: Budae-jjigae, Korean comfort food

Hyemin Lee (Illustration by Hyemin Lee/Stripes Korea)

Budae-jjigae (army base stew) was born out of postwar hardship. At a time when food was scarce after the Korean War, Koreans living near U.S. military bases used ingredients such as SPAM, sausage, ham and baked beans and then cooked them together with Korean flavors like kimchi, gochujang (red pepper paste) and noodles. Uijeongbu City, just north of Seoul, is especially famous for budae-jjigae and even has a street dedicated to the dish. You can also find budae-jjigae restaurants near many U.S. military bases in Korea. Today, budae-jjigae is a Korean comfort food with a taste of Korean resilience and American military history.

“Military base” in Hangul is Budae. “Let’s eat together.” in Hangul is “Gachi meogeoyo.”

(Illustration by Stripes Korea)

Korean

Hyemin Lee

Hyemin Lee is a writer based in Korea. Lee covers travel, food and culture stories for Stripes Korea. Follow her to learn about great destinations near and far on the Peninsula that you and your whole family will enjoy.