Gamjatang

A hearty, peppery stew of pork neck bones and potatoes slow-cooked in a deeply seasoned gochugaru broth.

Gamjatang is a working-class staple with a flavour profile that punches far above its humble ingredients — pork neck bones, potatoes, dried perilla leaves, and a bold spice paste create a broth of remarkable complexity. The name is slightly misleading: 'gamja' means potato, but some food historians argue it originally referred to the gam-ja, a colloquial term for the pork spinal cord found in neck bones. Whatever its etymology, the dish became synonymous with late-night dining culture, particularly around Seoul's wholesale markets and construction sites, where workers needed cheap, filling, and warming food after long shifts. The potatoes are cooked until they have absorbed the spiced, pork-rich broth and sit on the edge of falling apart, and the meat clinging to the neck vertebrae is so tender it slides off with minimal encouragement. Many restaurants serve gamjatang as a communal pot in the middle of the table, making it a sociable, hands-on meal. It is also a classic anju — food eaten alongside soju — especially during cold months.