Gukja, also called eunsoa or eunjaek, is a tool used for scooping and serving liquid-based food such as porridge or soup into a vessel. It has a long handle and a deep bowl, which are connected at a right angle to facilitate lifting liquid. Some scoops have a hole at one end of the handle for them to be hung. Dating back to the Stone Age, gukja emerged as an essential kitchen utensil in the Goryeo Dynasty, when soups became one of the typical side dishes. Produced in brass, which was the favored material for tableware at the time, the use of gukja continued through to the Joseon Dynasty.
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