South Korea: Bosintang Soup (Dog)
Dog meat is the main ingredient in South Korea’s highly prized Bosintang soup. The dish, which costs around 10 USD, is made from boiled dog bits (lean dogs are considered the most tasty) mixed with spices like green onions, Taro stalk, leeks, ginger, garlic, and perilla, an herb in the mint family that helps disguise the intense smell of cooked dog.
Although Bosintang isn’t necessarily known for its culinary appeal (the meat has been described as having a flaky, gamey dark beef flavor) it is famous for its medicinal value for improving male virility and cooling the body (and centering one’s “ki” during sweltering summer months). Even though the consumption of dog meat has been outlawed in South Korea since 1984, many traditional restaurants throughout the country still serve up this dish.
