Gamjatang

The name points at potatoes, but the substance is elsewhere: pork spine simmered until the meat gives up the bone without persuasion. The broth is chilli-red, thick, and heavily scented with perilla leaf and ground sesame, which is what most people actually remember. Whole potatoes cook in it and take on everything the broth has picked up.

Grip the bones with chopsticks or with your fingers and work the meat off them without worrying about how it looks — gloves are usually on the table for exactly this. Broth goes down by the spoonful between pieces, with rice on the side. When almost nothing is left, ask for rice to be fried in the pot, or for noodles to be added.