Usually a restaurant serving a savory bulgogi also serves a savory galbi . It is told that seolleongtang used to be a local Seoul dish eaten by commoners. It is a beef broth made from cow soup bones boiled for many hours. Usually it is seasoned with sesame seeds, salt, pepper, scallions and sesame oil. It is served as a main meal with rice.
Many people enjoy eating seolleongtang with diced radish kimchi, kkakttugi.
According to Korean history, seolleongtang originated in King Sejong's reign. It is said that the king went to Seonnongdan, where the people were praying for a good harvest and plowing a rice field. While they were plowing, it began to rain heavily, so heavily that they could not even move to another place, but became hungry. They butchered a cow and made soup. After that, whenever the King went to Seonnongdan the commoners sacrificed a cow and pig on the altar.