A Nation of Broth (국물의 나라)

What can comfort us more

than a bowl of warm broth

after another long day?

The moment we take a sip,

the furrows in your brow disappear.

Your forehead relaxes and your lips curl into a smile.

Many Koreans say, "I can't have a meal without broth."

A typical Korean meal centers on the bowl of broth.

For us, it's more than just a bowl of broth.

It gives us comfort and strength.

It's a way of life.

The ferment in kimchi is called

lactobacillus.

There's more myoglobin…

Frankfurt wurst…

You're a walking encyclopedia.

RYU SOO-YOUNG, A CLEVER FOODIE

It's so good.

It gets my blood flowing.

My fatigue washes away.

All your problems go away with this one bowl.

HAM YON-JI, A CHEERFUL FOODIE

I'm from a noble family. I never mix rice with broth.

I never run in the rain.

The slight fishy taste is the charm.

It's the best.

The fishy taste is a type of flavor.

HUH YOUNG-MAN, A STRICT FOODIE

This time we're on a broth journey.

RYU SOO-YOUNG, ACTOR

Certain regions are birthplaces of broth.

Other cities are known for certain types.

We'll visit each site. But first, we went to Jeju Island.

LET'S GO ON A BROTH JOURNEY

JEJU ISLAND

JEJU, A BEAUTIFUL GEM IN THE SOUTH

THE AZURE SEA AND THE ISLAND'S TALE OF UNIQUE BROTHS

Whenever I go to Seogwipo,

I go to this restaurant…

FIRST UP, GOURMET HUH'S SHORT-LISTED HANGOVER SOUP HOUSE

…for my morning hangovers.

SEOGWIPO

The broth is so good.

-Radish soup? -Red tilefish.

A red tilefish radish soup?

-That's new. -You never tried?

Nope, never.

I haven't even tried cutlassfish soup.

I haven't tried anything we're having today.

You're the ideal cast member.

HAM YON-JI, THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

It's so good.

The slightly fishy taste is its charm.

-It's not for everyone, is it? -Difficult to make.

-A gourmet menu. -Might be an acquired taste.

HIGH GOURMET MEAL, CUTLASSFISH SOUP

JEJU, THE CITY OF SEAFOOD

Jeju is an island, so it's seafood heaven.

Octopus, conch, sea cucumber, abalone.

Cast your fishing rod, you catch fish.

Red tilefish was always considered a specialty.

THE RED TILEFISH, JEJU'S BEST FISH

Especially, cutlassfish.

Mainland people always grill them.

ANOTHER REGIONAL PRODUCT THE SILVER CUTLASSFISH

But Jeju Islanders make broth out of them.

SAHMBO RESTAURANT

How did you find this place?

Locals who have been here for 10 generations.

Ten generations?

Since the Age of Goryeo?

Red tilefish radish soup

might taste too fishy to those with sensitive taste buds.

-Radishes are in season now. -Right.

RADISH, JEJU'S WINTER TREAT

It's kimchi-making season. Because radishes are in season.

What would you like?

Red tilefish radish soup.

I'll order cutlassfish soup instead.

It's not on the menu. The radish soup.

People order it, even though it's not on the menu.

KANG HEE-NYEON RESTAURANT OWNER OF 37 YEARS

-Really? -Yes.

Everyone knows.

-They just know, huh? -Yes.

Why isn't it on the menu?

It used to be that only locals ordered it here.

Do you have any other hidden menus?

The stuff you eat among yourselves?

The radish soup looks good.

RED TILEFISH RADISH SOUP

-Give me some broth. -All right.

There's pumpkin in the cutlassfish soup.

It looks amazing.

It looks fresh.

CUTLASSFISH SOUP

Are these scales in the broth?

When they're caught in nets they rub against each other.

So their scales completely rub off.

They come fully scaled if they're caught by fishing rods.

They're called silver cutlassfish.

A SPECIAL SOUP IN JEJU, KNOWN FOR CUTLASSFISH

That's good.

This reminds me of my mother.

It's good.

It is good.

It's not fishy.

It's perfect for hangovers.

You always mix rice with broth.

Yeah, I like how the soup

thickens with the rice.

FULL-ON CONNOISSEUR MODE

How's it this good?

It's so good.

SOUP THAT'S TASTIER WITH RICE

The taste of fat in the fish is infused well into the broth.

It's a different flavor to when you grill it.

Seogwipo cutlassfish is tasty in the winter.

The fish swim down to Seogwipo because of the cold.

That's why…

I'm sure a Seogwipo local said that.

It's possible.

They migrate here.

I think the red tilefish is the king of all fish.

Jeju suddenly seems appealing, no?

-Yes. -Everyone should come here.

You know,

I think discovering a new dish is making me feel pretty excited.

Finally, I've succeeded.

People who love to drink will love this.

That's right. Perfect for hangovers and drinking sessions.

HANGOVER REMEDY AND ALCOHOL PAIRING

I'm emptying this bowl pretty quickly.

Yes.

A TASTE THAT'S HARD TO RESIST

It's so good.

SAHMBO RESTAURANT

How do you make the broth?

The cutlassfish soup?

-The heads. -The heads?

THE CUTLASSFISH HEAD

What about…

That's made separately.

Just with water?

Yes, the fish is still fresh.

-Is that so? -Water and radish.

-Seasoned with salt? -Yes.

SALT, THE FINAL TOUCH

The salt decides what kind of dish it will become.

-The salt? -Yes.

The broth will darken with soy sauce.

Right.

The difference between Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do dishes

depends on the usage of salt.

Gyeongsang-do and Gangwon-do don't use much.

There are many salt ponds across the west and south coast.

AN ABUNDANCE OF SALT AT JEOLLA-DO AND THE WEST COAST

I think it's ultimately the salt.

QUALITY SALT, A FUNDAMENTAL FACTOR IN KOREAN COOKING

When I usually say this, people go, "That's right!"

But your reactions are…

No, we're…

This is good.

THE BEST! THE BEST!

This one tastes good. But this has a sophisticated taste.

This broth reminds me of my hometown.

It's been a while.

Cutlassfish soup isn't generally popular

but people who live by the sea know its taste.

Instead of green pumpkins, yellow pumpkins are used.

But they don't betray the taste.

IT'S SO VERY TASTY

GUEOM-RI

The waves are big today.

Yeah, they sure are.

Watching the windy scenery in a silent car is charming too.

Now we're headed towards a famous seafood ramyeon house.

Seafood livens up a ramyeon dish.

Right?

People take many photos these days.

I hear Jeju ramyeon has octopus in it.

I think they add photogenic garnish.

We're here, right there.

Wow!

The wind!

It's so windy.

How refreshing!

Here.

Thank you.

Wow, it's so windy out there.

"Octopus ramyeon : Limited to 70 servings."

Only 70 servings a day.

For every serving,

we include one Jeju crab…

JEJU CRAB, NO. 1 INGREDIENT IN SEAFOOD RAMYEON

…some mussels,

some abalone,

and some local octopus.

We used to serve chopped octopus

but we thought about serving them whole.