In addition to beer, ice cream and syrup, dog meat is a favorite dish of North Koreans during the hottest days of the year.
Dog meat has long been believed to be a health food in North Korea and South Korea. Residents on the Korean peninsula have a tradition of eating dog meat on the occasion of sambok (three hottest days of the year) , which falls on July 17, July 27 and August 16 this year.
The inhabitants of the Korean peninsula have a tradition of eating dog meat on the occasion of sambok. (Photo: AP).
According to the AP news agency, the demand for dog meat this summer tends to increase because many parts of East Asia are experiencing a record heat wave. Temperatures in several North Korean cities have reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius, the highest ever recorded.
The exact amount of dog meat consumed in North Korea is still unknown, but in South Korea, at least 2 million dogs are slaughtered every year. Even on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), dogs are raised on farms for the purpose of slaughter.
People believe that hot cures heat, so they eat dog meat and spicy dog soup on the hottest days. (Photo: AP).
“It’s our traditional food in the old days,” said Kim Ae-kyong, a waiter at House of Sweet Meat, the largest dog meat restaurant in Pyongyang . “People believe that hot cures heat , so they eat dog meat and spicy dog soup on the hottest days. It’s healthier than other meats,” Kim added.
Like neighboring South Korea, North Korean attitudes towards the animal are changing. Images of people walking their dogs on the streets of the capital Pyongyang and other cities in North Korea are increasingly common.