Budae-jjigae () is a type of spicy jjigae (Korean stew) from South Korea that is made with a variety of ingredients, often canned or processed. Common ingredients include ham, sausage, Spam, baked beans, kimchi, instant noodles, gochujang and American cheese. The dish is now a popular anju (accompaniment to alcoholic drinks) and a comfort food cooked in a large pot for multiple people. It also goes by the English names army stew, army base stew, and spicy sausage stew.
Around the time of the dish's invention, South Korea was among the poorest countries in the world, with many of its citizens relying on international aid for survival. The dish has its origins in a predecessor often called kkulkuri-juk (), that was created around the time of the Korean War, using food waste from or goods illegally smuggled off of United States Forces Korea bases. A prominent ingredient of the dish, Spam, was only made legally available for sale in 1987, around the time that South Korea democratized.
Although the dish came from conditions of poverty, it has remained consistently popular, even during and after South Korea's rapid economic growth. Its low cost, flexibility, and simplicity have been praised. In South Korea, there are many restaurants that specialize in . Gyeonggi Province's city of Uijeongbu, which claims to have first made the dish, has a "" with a high concentration of specialty restaurants. Chains like Nolboo have operated over a thousand locations in the country.
is often seen as symbolic of modern Korean history and even of American imperialism. Some older Koreans who lived through the Korean War avoid the dish, as they see it as a reminder of a painful and humiliating past. Younger Koreans reportedly simply enjoy it, while acknowledging its complicated history.
Name
The word () refers to military camps. The suffix -jjigae () refers to a type of stew that has a thicker consistency than guk (soup) and has more ingredients.
Its name is sometimes translated as "army base stew", "army stew", "spicy sausage stew", or "sausage stew".
Description
Budae-jjigae is made with a wide variety of ingredients. The soup base can be plain water, although most prefer to make it with a fish, meat, or bone-based broth such as (). Common ingredients include ham, sausage, lunch meats (e.g. Spam), baked beans, kimchi (fermented vegetables), instant ramen noodles, spicy flavoring packs that come with the ramen, cellophane noodles, gochujang (pepper paste), Vienna sausages, bacon, tofu, pork, ground beef, mandu (dumplings), macaroni, tteok (rice cakes), American cheese, mozzarella, minari (water celery), scallions, chili peppers, garlic, corn, zucchini, mushrooms, and other in-season vegetables. Spam or similar lunch meats are often described as a central part of the dish.
Preparation
The dish is based on a stock or soup base, which can be either vegan or made with animal products. Seasoning paste is also used, and usually contains and other flavorants such as soy sauce and sugar. Chopped ingredients and noodles are then added to the stock, with variability on if the noodles are added before or after the liquid comes to a boil. The dish is often enjoyed communally, with multiple people sharing a pot. In restaurants, the dish comes with a set of base ingredients; more can be added for additional charge. The low cost of the ingredients, flexibility of the recipe, and ease of preparation have been praised.
Variants
Ingredients for the dish are sold and exported from South Korea to other countries in kits. Various restaurants create their own versions of the dish with unorthodox ingredients. For example, it was reported in 2022 that a restaurant in Apgujeong used tomato soup as a base. Another restaurant in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province that was opened in 1973 has a ("military base meat") stir-fry that has been described as " without soup".
A variant of the dish is named after a U.S. President. A form of developed in Yongsan-gu, Seoul is called Johnson- (), after Lyndon B. Johnson, who is said to have enjoyed the dish during his 1966 visit to South Korea. The restaurant Johnson ate the dish at, Bada Sikdang (), still serves Johnson- as its signature dish. In Johnson-, kimchi is replaced with plain napa cabbage leaves, and ramen noodles are not added. Cheese is included by default, rather than being a requested addition (as is the case in some restaurants). In addition, while many restaurants cook the dish at the table, Johnson- is served already cooked.