Summer in Korea is usually from June to August. The average temperature exceeds 25℃ during this time, so your whole body is drenched with sweat even if you are outside for a while. There are foods that Koreans look to stand the heat in the summer. Some eat Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) to revive the body weakened by the hot weather, and the others eat Naengmyeon (cold noodles) to forget the heat. Samgyetang and Naengmyeon are both representative Korean summer foods.

#Representative Summer Food, ‘Samgyetang’
In summer when Koreans lose appetite and feel drowsy, they look for Samgyetang as a ‘nourishing food’ to restore energy.
Samgyetang is a deep-boiled dish with glutinous rice, jujube, chestnut, astragalus, garlic, and ginseng in one chicken. It surely is the best for ‘nourishing and restoring’ since it contains all the ingredients energizing the body. As one of the traditional Korean foods that has been passed down from the Joseon Dynasty in Korea, Samgyetang has a history of over 250 years inferred from records (1777) of boiling chicken to gain energy. Recently, Samgyetang combined with various ingredients such as abalone and neungi mushrooms (black tiger's paw muchrooms) is also being introduced.
Samgyetang exports are also on the rise, thanks to its recognition as a Korean health food boosting immunity in response to the spread of COVID-19. That chicken dishes are almost without likes and dislikes, are made and can be stored at room temperature, and are easy to cook also contributed to exports. Samgyetang is exported to the United States, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, etc. and its exports are increasing every year with 2386 tons in 2019, 3455 tons in 2020, and 3917 tons in 2021. Frozen Samgyetang to China will also be exported to China from March 7 this year, which is expected to activate Samgyetang product exports further.
Japanese author Murakami Ryu praised Samgyetang as the best Korean dish that he even included a scene of eating Samgyetang in his novel, and film director Zhang Yimou praised it as Ginseng chicken soup. As such, Samgyetang is attracting attention not only in Korea but also as a ‘nourishing food’ for people around the world.

#‘Naengmyeon,’ perfect for hot summer with cold broth
Even if one survives summer with hot Samgyetang, one tends to always look for ice water in summer. A sip of ice water makes you quickly forget about the scorching heat. In Korea, there is cold dish that is as good as ice water: Naengmyeon, a dish eaten cold by adding garnish and broth to buckwheat noodles. Cold noodles are rare abroad, so Korean Naengmyeon often captures overseas consumers. 
There are several types of Naengmyeon, including Pyeongyangnaengmyeon, Hamheungnaengmyeon, and Jinjunaengmyeon. Pyeongyangnaengmyeon is North Korea’s Pyeongyang-style Naengmyeon, made with beef broth mixed with Dongchimi (radish water Kimchi), and has a mild taste that is neither salty nor spicy. Hamheungnaengmyeon is made with Hoemuchim (spicy raw fish salad) on top of noodles made with sweet potato starch powder. It is first mixed with sauce and then poured with broth to eat. It is also a local food in Hamhung, North Korea. Pyeongyangnaengmyeon and Hamheungnaengmyeon thrived in Seoul through displaced people after the Korean War. Born in Jinju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jinjunaengmyeon has a gorgeous, fancy garnish as it is topped with Yukjeon (pan-fried battered beef), Mukimchi (radish Kimchi), egg rolls, shredded red pepper, and pine nuts. The broth tastes completely different from Pyeongyangnaengmyeon as beef bones are broiled in water and seafood such as anchovies, mussels, and clams are added to boil.  
A mixture of Pyeongyang Naengmyeon and Hamheung Naengmyeon is Seoul Naengmyeon today. In Korea, we eat Mulnaengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles with Dongchimi) or Bibimnaengmyeon (spicy buckwheat noodles) after eating meat. The two types of cold noodles are Seoul Naengmyeon. The broth of Mulnaengmyeon is sweeter and sourer than Pyeongyang Naengmyeon and has ice cubes floating on it in the summer.

#What are Samgyetang and Naengmyeon Export Products?
Various products of Samgyetang are exported from Korea. First, Nonghyup Moguchon Samgyetang is exported to Japan. It entered 80 stores of Hanamasa, a Japanese supermarket, and is manufactured in one of Korea’s approved export workshops to Japan. Harim’s Dakhanmari (whole chicken stew) is also captivating the taste buds of Japanese as a Samgyetang product made by processing the Korean Dakhanmari menu, which is popular among Japanese, in a simple retort recipe. Cheongmyeongwon’s Woongchu Samgyetang succeeded in entering Taiwan last year. As a 50-day-old male rooster since it was hatched, Woongchu chicken is chewy, less oily, and light unlike general chicken broilers. Maniker F&G is also exporting Ginseng Samgyetang to North American markets such as the U.S. and Canada. Samgyetang was exported to Canada for the first time in 2020 after 23 years of consultation. Goryeo Samgyetang of Ourhome is sold in New Zealand, and Bibigo Samgyetang of CJ Cheiljedang is available on U.S. Amazon. Both products have a rich taste as a whole root of fresh ginseng is added with chicken and boiled with glutinous rice and garlic.
The major product of Naengmyeon is Nongshim’s Doongji Naengmyeon, a dry noodle product first launched in 2008. It has two types: Dongchimi-based Mulnaengmyeon and Bibimnaengmyeon, Nongshim has been steadily expanding its entry into overseas markets such as Japan, the U.S., and China since designating 2010 as the ‘first year of globalization of Naengmyeon’. Doongji Naengmyeon is especially sold in Japan under a different name, Hululu Naengmyeon.
Tasting similar to Bibim Naengmyeon, Bibimmyeon (spicy Korean cold noodles) is also considered a summer delicacy. A dish eaten by mixing cold noodles in Bibimjang (bibim sauce), Bibimmyeon gives the essence of summer ramyeon taste if one or two ice cubes are added. The representative products are Bibimmyeon from Paldo and Baehongdong from Nongshim. Bibimmyeon is the origin of 'Cold Ramyeon' and is exported to all over the world including Japan and the U.S..