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Dish guide · Soups and stews

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Dwaeji-gukbap

돼지국밥

Busan pork and rice soup

♨️ Served hot🙂 Not spicy🥬 Not vegetarian

Busan's signature dish: slices of boiled pork in a milky pork-bone broth, served with rice. You season the bowl yourself at the table.

What it is

  • The broth is simmered from pork bones until it turns milky or stays clear, depending on the shop. Rice comes in the soup or in a separate bowl.
  • Salted shrimp, chives and a spicy paste are served alongside so that each person can adjust the taste.
  • Bowls may hold only meat, or a mix with offal. Suyuk-baekban is a set with a plate of boiled pork, soup and rice.

How to eat it

  1. 1Taste the broth first. Then season it with salted shrimp, and add chives and a little spicy paste if you like.
  2. 2Many people add the thin noodles served on the side, if the shop provides them.

History

  • The most common account traces it to the refugees who crowded into Busan during the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, using cheap pork bones to make a filling soup. Other accounts point to Miryang's market stalls and to northern soups.
  • Busan now has more than 1,000 dwaeji-gukbap restaurants, according to one report.

Allergies and diet

Usually contains

porkshellfish
  • The salted shrimp on the table is shellfish. Leave it out if you're allergic, and ask whether it's already in the soup.
  • Ask for meat only if you don't want offal.
  • Kimchi served with it usually contains fish sauce.

Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.

🗣️ Allergy card for the staff

Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.

📍 Where to try it

Sources

We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-31.