▲ Jeju yukgaejang has far more fiddlehead fern or gosari than its mainland cousin. Photo by Kimberly Comeau

Jeju is famous for its pork broths. Absolutely everything is thrown in, feet, organs, and then it is boiled for two days.

In winter, when “mom” is collected along the coasts, the dish becomes “momguk,” Jeju’s gulfweed and pork soup. In spring, when “gosari” is collected from Jeju’s mountainsides, the dish becomes “yukgaejang,” a bracken-based rich pork soup.

Bracken, being carcinogenic, is rarely eaten globally and many authorities, such as the British Royal Horticultural Society, warn against consumption.

However, young sprouts picked early and thoroughly soaked in water are fine, and these go into your yukgaejang soup.

▲ Jeju gosari in banchan, or side dish form. Photo by Kimberly Comeau

Many Jeju people rise early in spring and hunt out the best mountainside fields, before returning home with bulging backpacks, returning the next day for more.

Although some bracken features in the mainland variety, the Jeju version is absolutely packed with the stuff, and whereas “yukji” goes with beef, Jeju’s goes with pork.

Along with some spring onion, white onion, red pepper powder, sweet potato noodles and garlic, it makes for a thoroughly hearty and refreshing broth.