Namhansanseong Chicken Baeksuk
KoreaGyeonggi · Gwangju (Gyeonggi)Namhansanseong Chicken Baeksuk: How a Fortress Village Turned to Selling Chicken Porridge
Inside the World Heritage fortress of Namhansanseong is a street of restaurants serving chicken and duck. Here is the history of a village that began selling chicken porridge after the fortress lost its role, and how to order native-chicken baeksuk and spicy braised chicken.
Why Chicken Restaurants Fill a Mountain Fortress
Namhansanseong in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, is a Joseon-era mountain fortress where King Injo held out during the Qing invasion of 1636, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. Inside the walls the king's temporary palace has been restored, and around it restaurants serving chicken and duck form the 'baeksuk street'. In the village within the walls stands an official sign titled 'Chicken Porridge'. In short, it says that once the fortress lost its military and administrative role in the modern era, residents faced having to leave, and the locals who stayed began cooking and selling chicken porridge to make a living, starting a new chapter for the village. According to Gyeonggi Province's webzine, the area is also a clan village of the Pungcheon Im family.
From Valley Picnic Platforms to a Baeksuk Street
In the 1960s and 1970s the Namhansanseong area was a pleasure ground where people sat on wooden platforms by the stream and ate chicken and duck. Villagers sold baeksuk (whole boiled chicken), and some places also sold pheasant or rabbit caught in the hills. After the fortress was designated a provincial park in 1971, chicken and duck restaurants multiplied, reaching around 70 by a 2017 report. In 2012 the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization named it a food-theme street. One of the older places opened in 1979 and is now run by the third generation; its original building was torn down for the palace restoration and it moved, a reminder that the fortress and its restaurants have changed together.
Baeksuk or Braised Chicken: What to Order
The standard menu on baeksuk street is chicken baeksuk, dak-bokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken, once called doritang) and duck dishes. Baeksuk is a whole chicken simmered clear with garlic and other aromatics; you dip the meat in salt or sauce and sip the broth on its own. Dak-bokkeumtang is cut-up chicken braised with potatoes in a red pepper paste and chili sauce. Many restaurants here use tojongdak, a large native breed with firm, chewy meat. It takes a long time to cook, so many places start cooking only after you order. One bird comfortably feeds three or four, so groups usually share one baeksuk and one braised chicken. Many places also serve acorn or potato pancakes and wild mountain greens, giving the meal a country-table feel.
Finish With Porridge, and the Tale of Hyojonggaeng
In Korea a baeksuk meal often ends with porridge: rice is cooked in the leftover chicken broth. Rich with chicken fat and shreds of meat, it has a nuttiness different from the baeksuk itself, and fits nicely with the sign's story of a village that began by selling chicken porridge. Whether it comes with the set or must be ordered separately varies, so ask when you order. The area has another old food story. Hyojonggaeng is a hangover soup slow-cooked with short ribs, seafood and mushrooms, and tradition says it was made around the fortress and carried to noble households in Hanyang by the time the dawn bell rang. You may still find dishes under this name inside the fortress, a different taste of Namhansanseong worth remembering.
Tips for Pairing a Fortress Walk With Lunch
Baeksuk restaurants are scattered around the Haenggung palace and the village inside the walls. A good plan is to walk a section of the wall trail or tour the palace, then have baeksuk for a late lunch. Native-chicken baeksuk is cooked to order and takes a while, so leave yourself plenty of time. On weekends and in the autumn foliage season the road up to the fortress jams and parking is hard, so take the bus or set off early. In summer, seats by the stream are popular. Prices are often per bird, and some places have no single-person menu, so if there are only two of you, check whether a half bird or smaller dish is available.