1. What is Janchi Guksu?
Janchi Guksu (Party noodle, Banquet noodle) is one of the noodle dishes in Korea.
It is served at events such as weddings, birthday parties, and 60th birthday celebrations, symbolizing a wish to live a long life, much like the length of the noodles. It is also widely sold in snack bars.
The dish consists of boiled noodles topped with various ingredients like sautéed beef, pork, pumpkin, carrot, egg omelette, and cucumber. It is then poured over with a broth made from meat (beef, pork, chicken, pheasant) or anchovy soup (anchovy, dried pollack, shrimp). Because of its simplicity, there might be variations depending on the region, but it is generally sold at an affordable price of around 5,000 to 10,000 won for a meal. In North Korea, it is called “Kkaengkkaengi guksu”.
2. History of Janchi Guksu
In reality, janchi guksu has a short history. The thin noodles(somen) used in janchi guksu actually originated from Japan. Traditional Korean noodles primarily used buckwheat. During the Japanese colonial period, Koreans and Japanese would say, ‘Koreans use buckwheat noodles, and Japanese use somen,’ emphasizing the identity to the extent that the perception was strong that traditional Korean noodles were made of buckwheat. Contrary to the name “banquet noodles,” this dish was never actually consumed during feasts in the Joseon era. The commonly believed origin story that ‘during the Joseon era, wheat was rare, so noodles made from wheat flour could only be eaten during feasts, hence the name banquet noodles’ is not true. While there indeed were noodles made from wheat flour that the nobility consumed during feasts, those were Andong Geonjin noodles. Andong Geonjin noodles are closer to kal guksu rather than banquet noodles.
The widespread consumption of janchi guksu began after the liberation, primarily during the U.S. military administration. It is believed that the dish was created by combining the large quantities of wheat flour provided by the U.S. with the somen production factories and dried anchovy production factories left behind by the Japanese.
3. Stories related to Janchi Guksu
- Because anchovy broth is primarily used, it’s sometimes called “anchovy noodles.” However, depending on the region, broths made from chicken or beef are also used.
- Due to its convenience as a dish, many instant versions have been developed.
- It’s a high-calorie food. Similar to pasta, the main ingredient is noodles made from wheat flour, boasting a significant amount of carbohydrates. Unlike rice, it goes down smoothly, so one might eat without realizing how full they are until they feel like their stomach might burst.
- It’s often served at buffets, especially at wedding buffets.
- While seafood is rarely added to banquet noodles, there are places near the beach that sell banquet noodles with seafood. Some other restaurants also offer seafood banquet noodles.
- The scene where they deliciously eat janchi guksu in the movie ‘Steel Rain‘ is famous.