Boknal and Summer Foods

In the hottest stretch of the Korean summer come three days known together as sambok (삼복), or more simply boknal (복날). For generations they have been occasions to eat something restorative, cool off by the water and generally take the heat seriously. Today the dog days are best known for bowls of steaming chicken soup.

How the three days are counted

The dates follow the traditional East Asian calendar rather than a fixed day of the month. Each day in that calendar carries one of ten "heavenly stems," and boknal is tied to the stem gyeong (庚), which comes around every ten days. According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture:

• Chobok (초복, 初伏): the third gyeong day after the summer solstice.
• Jungbok (중복, 中伏): the fourth gyeong day after the solstice.
• Malbok (말복, 末伏): the first gyeong day after ipchu (입추), the seasonal marker for the beginning of autumn.

The days usually fall ten days apart, but in some years twenty days separate jungbok and malbok, an arrangement called wolbok. Counted this way, the three days land roughly between mid-July and mid-August, which is why they move a little from year to year.

Fighting heat with heat

Korean summer eating follows two opposite ideas. The better known is iyeol chiyeol (이열치열), fighting heat with heat. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture describes the belief that a hot, rich dish makes you sweat and helps build the stamina to get through the season. Dishes made in this spirit are called boyangsik (보양식), restorative or nourishing foods.

• Samgyetang (삼계탕): a young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng and jujubes and simmered whole. The encyclopedia calls it the most representative boknal dish and a summer food eaten to keep up one's strength.
• Yeonggye baeksuk (영계백숙): young chicken simmered plainly in broth, a close relative.
• Patjuk (팥죽): red bean porridge, which the encyclopedia notes was eaten on boknal in the belief it would ward off illness and the effects of the heat.

The opposite approach cools the body directly. Chilled soups (naengguk) and cold noodles (naengmyeon) were favored by those who found hot meals too sweaty, and melons and watermelon were classic boknal treats. Beyond food, people cooled their feet in mountain streams, a custom called takjok (탁족), and slept with airy bamboo bolsters.

For more on the yearly round of holiday foods, see seasonal foods. The idea that a meal can restore you echoes the broader saying explored in yaksik dongwon.

A tradition that has changed

The encyclopedia records that gaejangguk, a dog meat soup, was once a traditional boknal dish, while samgyetang is now the common choice. In January 2024 the National Assembly unanimously passed the Special Act on Ending Dog Farming, Slaughter and Distribution for Food. It was promulgated on February 6, 2024, and after a three-year transition, during which the government offers support for affected businesses to close or convert, raising, slaughtering, distributing and selling dogs for food is prohibited from February 7, 2027.

Staying safe in the heat

Whatever is on the menu, the real point of boknal, getting through dangerous heat, is a public health matter. The World Health Organization's practical advice includes:

• Drink water regularly through the day rather than waiting until you are thirsty.
• Avoid strenuous activity and time outdoors during the hottest part of the day.
• Spend time somewhere cool, for a few hours a day if your home is hot, and keep it cooler by closing blinds by day and opening windows when the night air is cooler.
• Check on others, especially people over 65 and those with heart, lung or kidney conditions.

WHO also lists infants and young children, outdoor and manual workers, and people living in inadequate housing among those most at risk. Signs of heatstroke need immediate medical attention.

Things to keep in mind

• Soup is not hydration: A hot, salty bowl of samgyetang is a meal, not a substitute for water on a hot day.
• Salt: Broth-based dishes add up, especially if salt is added at the table. Eating the chicken and leaving some broth is an easy adjustment. See sodium in Korean food.
• Ginseng: The amount in a bowl of soup is small, but the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that ginseng products may affect blood sugar and clotting and might interact with medications. People taking medicines should check with a clinician before using concentrated ginseng tonics.
• Balance the table: A restorative dish pairs well with lightly seasoned vegetable banchan such as cucumber salad or a crisp young radish kimchi.