In our country the period from mid-July to mid-Argust is the hottest in year. In this period, the people dislike to move and lose their vigor. So our people went to the cool places and ate the special dishes to keep out of the heat and to enjoy the good health in the hottest period of summer. As a result, even the dog meat soup was created.
The dog is one of the domestic animals which our ancestors began to raise at the first. In the past, rearly all the families of our country raised the dog. Because it is clever, easy to rise and follows the owner and the dogment is easy to digest, of high nutoitive value, delicious and can be used as the dietary life or nutritive supplement.
So our ancestors raised many dogs to use as the tonic and ate its soup at the same table with the neighbors. In particular it has been recognized as the main ingredient for the hottest period of summer when the appetite is lost.
According to the historical documents, the other domestic animal meats were used anytime regardless of the seasons but the dog meat was recorded clearly as the main ingredient for the hottest period of summar.
Each Korean thought that it had to eat the dog meat soup one or two times in this period.
Like this, the hottest period and dog meat soup have been connected closely to our people’s life.
The custom of eating the dog meat soup in the hottest period of summer is seen to have been originated from the principle of “Like cures like.” used in the Korean medicine. That is, it is based on the principle that the human must eat the dog meat soup to stimulate the appetite lost due to the heat, to improve the weakened body and to prevent the potential diseases. The people called this soup the health- improving soup since the completely boiled and seasoning- added dog meat soup prevented the heat and improved the health. They said that even a drop of dog meat soup that fell on the instep was effective like a medieine.
From the old times, the people said that the boiled millet was proper for the dog meat soup. Once the millet has been boiled, it does not get soft well unlike the boiled white rice. Our people understood such characteristics through the long life experience and selected the staple food suited to the dog meat soup which had to be kept hot for a while. The boiled millet is more fragrant than the other boiled grains, which makes the dog meat soup more delicious. The people whom the dog meat soup disagreed with ate the hot beef soup which was called “a song of chopped beef and spices”. In general, the powdered red pepper was not added in the beef dishes but it was added into the soup of chopped beef and spices.