Ch.248Pacification (3)

“The Khagan is making food himself?”

“What kind of food is he making?”

The Kheshig warriors whispered among themselves.

Seeing this, Munglig approached and addressed them.

“The buroktan you eat was also made by Gurkhan.”

“Is… is that true?”

“Did the Khagan say so himself?”

“That’s right.”

Munglig crossed his arms as he spoke.

“You know nothing of Gurkhan’s greatness.”

Munglig went on to explain everything from how Gurkhan nearly suffered poisoning by the Tatars to his achievements until now. While there were some exaggerations in his account, it was based on facts, so it couldn’t exactly be called distortion.

After hearing Munglig’s story, the Kheshig warriors’ eyes sparkled as they praised Gurkhan’s excellence.

“As expected of Gurkhan…”

“Is there anything he cannot do?”

Munglig crossed his arms with a satisfied expression at the warriors’ fanatical praise.

“Indeed. The Gurkhan you serve is truly exceptional. Not only does he possess perfect muscles, but he has also demonstrated excellence in military affairs, politics, diplomacy, and the arts.”

“Gurkhan! Gurkhan! Gurkhan!”

“We knew too little about Gurkhan! He is truly great! Gurkhan!”

It was true that Yesugei excelled in military affairs, politics, and diplomacy.

However, he had done nothing in the field of arts, so Munglig’s claim was untrue.

A Kheshig who knew this fact cautiously raised his hand to ask a question.

“Has Gurkhan actually accomplished anything in the arts…?”

“Good question. Gurkhan not only promoted scholarship and arts but also created Mongol script so that everyone could easily learn to read and write. Additionally, he created buroktan to help warriors like us build artistic muscles. In this way, Gurkhan has greatly contributed to the artistic development of Mongolia.”

“Indeed… Lord Munglig…”

“That makes sense.”

The Kheshig warriors nodded in agreement.

If Yesugei had seen this, he would certainly have asked what nonsense they were talking about.

But at the moment, Yesugei was busy making food inside the ger and had no time to pay attention to them.

“But the smell coming from the ger… doesn’t it smell like bantan?”

Munglig nodded at the Kheshig’s words, apparently thinking the same thing.

Bantan was a Mongolian dish made by boiling flour or rice in mutton broth.

During this period, bantan was only eaten as porridge, unlike the modern version eaten like bone soup.

Rice in this era was typically eaten like rice cakes or porridge.

This was because pots that could evenly distribute heat had not yet been invented.

Of course, by the late Goryeo period, rice similar to modern rice would be made.

This meant that fluffy rice did not yet exist.

As a result, throughout East Asia, including Mongolia, rice was consumed as porridge or rice cakes.

Additionally, since Mongolia was a land where wheat was more common than rice, bantan was typically made with wheat flour rather than rice.

“Bantan… but my brother said he was making a new dish.”

Munglig denied reality as he spoke these words.

In his mind, Yesugei was no ordinary person. Therefore, it seemed impossible that Yesugei, who had created buroktan—a virtual elixir of life for the Kheshig—would make an ordinary dish.

As Munglig paced with a mixture of worry and anticipation,

Yesugei emerged from the ger, sweating profusely.

“What are you doing here?”

“We heard you were making food, so we’re waiting in anticipation.”

“I see. Would you like to taste it while you’re here?”

“Of course!”

At Munglig’s response, the nearby Kheshig warriors’ eyes sparkled.

Seeing this, Yesugei gestured for them to come inside, as if telling them not to worry.

The Kheshig warriors expressed their gratitude and entered the ger.

“Oh… ohh! This rich aroma…!”

“This is like…!”

The Kheshig warriors continuously expressed their admiration at the rich broth made from a cow’s head.

Yesugei shrugged and offered them the broth.

After drinking it, Munglig initially expressed admiration but soon tilted his head in confusion.

“It tastes good… but isn’t this just ordinary meat broth?”

“Yes, it’s ordinary broth. Made from parts that even common people can easily obtain.”

“This is too ordinary.”

“That’s right. It needs to be ordinary so everyone can enjoy it. That’s what gukbap is.”

“Gukbap…?”

At Munglig’s question, Yesugei pointed to an unfamiliar cooking utensil he had prepared.

It was a dark, massive pot-like object.

“Is this a pot? When you took those Goryeo craftsmen… was it to make this?”

“Yes. This is indeed what I had the Goryeo craftsmen make.”

“What’s inside this pot?”

“Open it and see.”

Munglig opened the pot lid.

Hot steam rose from the black pot.

“This… this is!”

“It’s rice cooked with water.”

Yesugei said this as he scooped out the rice from the pot.

Munglig was greatly surprised as he received it.

“This is different from ordinary rice. I mean…”

“The rice grains are intact.”

Gurkhan said this and then poured broth into the bowl of rice.

Munglig was bewildered by Gurkhan’s action.

“Try it.”

“Isn’t this no different from porridge?”

“It is different.”

At Yesugei’s words, Munglig nodded.

Then he took his first spoonful of this unfamiliar food called gukbap.

“This… this taste…!”

“Don’t make a fuss. It’s just an ordinary taste.”

“…That’s right, brother. Isn’t this just bantan?”

“I told you it’s not bantan. That’s porridge, but this is a dish where the rice grains remain intact while enjoyed with broth, isn’t it?”

“Is that important?”

“Of course it’s important. This is a perfect food with the appropriate combination of protein, carbohydrates, and fat—the three essential elements for survival.”

“…What are protein, carbohydrates, and fat?”

Yesugei made an expression as if he had misspoken.

Then he explained again in a way Munglig could understand.

“It’s cheap, quick to make, tastes good, and is good for muscles.”

Upon hearing it was good for muscles, the eyes of Munglig and the Kheshig warriors widened.

For them, muscle development was their life’s greatest goal.

So they couldn’t help but be excited about something that was not only tastier than buroktan but could also be made quickly.

* * *

“Ah ah…”

“It’s hot but delicious…!”

“It would be even better with some salt, but salt is beyond our pay grade.”

The Kheshig warriors said this as they ate their gukbap.

Since they heard it was good for muscles, they eagerly boiled cow heads to make gukbap.

“This pot made by Gurkhan is really useful.”

“If only it weren’t so heavy, it would be nice to carry around and eat from.”

The Kheshig warriors said this as they looked at the black pot.

The rice made in this black pot didn’t turn into porridge or rice cake.

Each grain of rice remained intact and fluffy, making it perfect for gukbap.

As the Kheshig warriors gathered in a corner eating gukbap,

some Goryeo people who had been watching with interest approached and asked a question.

“That smells delicious. What kind of food is this?”

The Kheshig warriors didn’t understand the Goryeo language, but they somewhat understood what the Goryeo people meant through their gestures.

One of the Kheshig removed his helmet, cleaned it thoroughly, and then filled it with rice and broth before offering it to the Goryeo person.

“Try it.”

The Goryeo person took the helmet and tasted the gukbap with a spoon as suggested by the Kheshig.

His eyes widened in surprise.

“Such fluffy rice grains in hot rice with rich meat broth…!”

The Goryeo person expressed great admiration and offered it to those who had followed him.

They too were greatly surprised by the taste of this familiar yet unfamiliar food.

“It’s just ordinary meat broth, but the intact rice grains give it a nice texture.”

“Indeed. The saying that familiar tastes are more deadly is true.”

As the Goryeo people emptied the gukbap, the Kheshig warriors were delighted.

“Haha! The Solongos people know how to eat!”

“Indeed they do.”

As the Kheshig warriors rejoiced, the Goryeo people joined in their joy.

As a token of gratitude for the delicious food, they thoroughly cleaned the helmet and filled it with something before handing it back.

“What is this…?”

“Solongos certainly has abundant vegetables. To pickle such precious vegetables…”

Mongolia was traditionally a region where rice farming was difficult.

This also made vegetable cultivation challenging.

As a result, vegetables were more expensive than gold in Mongolia.

“I’ll enjoy this.”

The Kheshig bowed in gratitude and looked at the turnip immersed in a transparent white liquid.

He took a bite and his eyes widened.

“What’s wrong?”

“Was it poisoned?!”

As the other Kheshig warriors made a fuss, the one who had taken a bite waved his hands dismissively.

Then he pointed to the gukbap.

“Is he asking for gukbap?”

When he nodded, another Kheshig used a spoon to give some gukbap to the one with the turnip in his mouth.

With the turnip still in his mouth, he swallowed a spoonful of gukbap.

Then he showed a deeply moved expression and laughed heartily.

“The taste of gukbap with pickled vegetables is amazing!”

He then offered it to his comrades.

Seeing this, the other Kheshig warriors followed suit with dubious expressions.

“Delicious!”

“This is it!”

As the Kheshig warriors made a fuss, the Goryeo people gave looks indicating they wanted to try it too.

“You should try it too.”

The Goryeo people skillfully took out radish from the dongchimi.

They took a bite and then immediately put a spoonful of gukbap in their mouths.

“Ohh…!”

“What an incredible taste…!”

“The ordinary yet subtly tangy dongchimi broth blends together…!”

As the Goryeo people also showed surprised expressions, the Kheshig warriors laughed loudly.

As the atmosphere became lively, they brought out distilled soju, which was becoming popular in both Song Dynasty and Mongolia.

This was the moment when distilled soju, later called Aragilju, was introduced to Goryeo.