Top seven exotic Korean dishes for foreigners

[eutgard]

exotic = disgusting or disturbing...

http://www.koreaherald.com/national/...20101003000286

But I like them all!

[eutgard]

Contents in the link has changed to somewhat gentle...

Below is original review.

Fermented skate
Fermented skate is considered a main dish for big parties in Jeolla Province, southern in Korea. But, its tangy flavor doesn’t attract many to try. Some at the Korea Herald claim they have suffered from nausea just by breathing a scent of it.


Silkworm larva
Silkworm larva, a popular Korean snack called “bundegi,” is one street snack our foreign staff thinks is disgusting. The cooked caterpillar is served in a paper cup and sold cheaply on streets.


Chicken feet
Chicken feet are the popular side dish sold at street pubs in Korea which goes well with soju. They are marinated with red peppers, garlic, and served while barbequed. Our foreign staff does not favor chicken feet because they believe eating the hands or feet of animals is just plain weird.


Live octopus
The squirming tentacles of live octopus, called “sannakji” in Korean, scare those who trying it for the first time. For our foreign staff, it is the “vilest food they have ever had,” with one describing it as a suction cup. “I suffered badly from the stickiness of sannakji. It has the same effect of adhesive. I will never try it again,” said one foreigner staff member who is not to be named.


Sundae
Sundae is a sausage-like dish favored by many in Korea. But, it is a culture shock to many foreigners. The pig intestine stuffed with blood from the animal, noodles, vegetables and spices makes foreigners hesitant to try. “Pig intestine. What more can I say?” said one unadventurous staffer.


Bosintang
Bosintang is a soup which features dog meat as its primary ingredient. It is traditionally considered a healthy dish in Korea, but has become the subject of controversy with many inside and outside of Korea because of concerns over animal rights. Dog meat is also consumed by some Asian countries such as the Philippines, China and Vietnam.


Gopchang
Gopchang refers to grilled intestines of pig or cattle mixed with vegetables, red peppers and other spices. It is not a much favored dish among foreigners. “I had it once. It tasted even worse on the way back up,” said one disgusted staffer. However, Koreans like its chewy texture and juicy taste.

[Waffles and Scotch]

That's all you...I think I'll stick to steak and chicken...

[drteeth]

I would eat Sundae, it sounds a bit like black sausage to me.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by drteeth

I would eat Sundae, it sounds a bit like black sausage to me.

+1

Was going to say, sounds similar to Black Pudding.

[runmikeyrun]

woof. so it IS true! Gah! *hurls*

[MatticusMania]

Food tends to get a lot less disgusting (though not entirely) when you don't eat meat.

[Jinro]

I still can't stand Kimchi or anything with seafood........which is a problem because Koreans and Japanese use a seafood broth base for practically everything, including meat dishes. Mixing seafood with meat is heresy.

[MakiSupaStar]

Strangely, I clicked on this thread not expecting anything about food.

[MatticusMania]

Something more like this, Maki?

[MakiSupaStar]

Hmmm. No. Not exactly.

[Carver]

I've had chicken feet and Kegogi...Neither were that bad (chicken feet were actually delicious). Never heard of the other stuff there.

[Clark Dark]

I saw a chicken foot served in a cup of soup at a west indian restaurant and it looked like it was trying to give the customer a high five.. I'll pass

[eutgard]

Originally Posted by Jinro

I still can't stand Kimchi or anything with seafood........which is a problem because Koreans and Japanese use a seafood broth base for practically everything, including meat dishes. Mixing seafood with meat is heresy.

There is Kimchi for Buddhist monks in Korea. No fish broth included in it. There are numerous Buddhist temple restsurants in Seoul. Strictly vegetarian and very delicious, and good for your cholesterol level.

BTW, are you a fan of Soju? Jinro is most famous brand of Soju in Korea.

[eutgard]

Originally Posted by drteeth

I would eat Sundae, it sounds a bit like black sausage to me.

Much softer and a lot of garlic in it. There is sundae stew, too. Good cure for hangover.

[Bloodhammer]

Fermented skate
Fermented skate is considered a main dish for big parties in Jeolla Province, southern in Korea. But, its tangy flavor doesn’t attract many to try. Some at the Korea Herald claim they have suffered from nausea just by breathing a scent of it.

I'd try it, but I'm not sure how far I'd get before having to move on to the next item.

Silkworm larva
Silkworm larva, a popular Korean snack called “bundegi,” is one street snack our foreign staff thinks is disgusting. The cooked caterpillar is served in a paper cup and sold cheaply on streets.

This doesn't look bad at all. If they're crunchy, I'll buy a cup.

Chicken feet
Chicken feet are the popular side dish sold at street pubs in Korea which goes well with soju. They are marinated with red peppers, garlic, and served while barbequed. Our foreign staff does not favor chicken feet because they believe eating the hands or feet of animals is just plain weird.

Okay, I really don't like gristle, so this I will have to decline...

Live octopus
The squirming tentacles of live octopus, called “sannakji” in Korean, scare those who trying it for the first time. For our foreign staff, it is the “vilest food they have ever had,” with one describing it as a suction cup. “I suffered badly from the stickiness of sannakji. It has the same effect of adhesive. I will never try it again,” said one foreigner staff member who is not to be named.

IT'S ALIVE!

Sundae
Sundae is a sausage-like dish favored by many in Korea. But, it is a culture shock to many foreigners. The pig intestine stuffed with blood from the animal, noodles, vegetables and spices makes foreigners hesitant to try. “Pig intestine. What more can I say?” said one unadventurous staffer.

Now we're talking! This doesn't sound all that different from red boudin, only it has noodles in place of rice.

Bosintang
Bosintang is a soup which features dog meat as its primary ingredient. It is traditionally considered a healthy dish in Korea, but has become the subject of controversy with many inside and outside of Korea because of concerns over animal rights. Dog meat is also consumed by some Asian countries such as the Philippines, China and Vietnam.

I have a question. Does it have cilantro in it? If the answer is "no" or "yes, but it doesn't overpower the flavor", I'd try it. If you eat pig, you're really not any better than someone who eats dog IMHO, so it's a non-issue with me.

Fun fact for westerners: Dog meat comes from certain breeds that are only raised for food. NO ONE eats their pets (except in bad famines).

Gopchang
Gopchang refers to grilled intestines of pig or cattle mixed with vegetables, red peppers and other spices. It is not a much favored dish among foreigners. “I had it once. It tasted even worse on the way back up,” said one disgusted staffer. However, Koreans like its chewy texture and juicy taste.

Once again we have something here that's familiar to someone from the deep south. It's called chitlins here. I've never had it, but you can find a tub of pig intestines in any grocery store in Shreveport. I've heard that it's labor intensive to clean and soak before cooking...

[eutgard]

Originally Posted by Bloodhammer

I'd try it, but I'm not sure how far I'd get before having to move on to the next item.



This doesn't look bad at all. If they're crunchy, I'll buy a cup.



Okay, I really don't like gristle, so this I will have to decline...



IT'S ALIVE!



Now we're talking! This doesn't sound all that different from red boudin, only it has noodles in place of rice.



I have a question. Does it have cilantro in it? If the answer is "no" or "yes, but it doesn't overpower the flavor", I'd try it. If you eat pig, you're really not any better than someone who eats dog IMHO, so it's a non-issue with me.

Fun fact for westerners: Dog meat comes from certain breeds that are only raised for food. NO ONE eats their pets (except in bad famines).



Once again we have something here that's familiar to someone from the deep south. It's called chitlins here. I've never had it, but you can find a tub of pig intestines in any grocery store in Shreveport. I've heard that it's labor intensive to clean and soak before cooking...

There is no cilantro in Bosintang (dog meat stew).

Instead, we add a lot of Sesamee leves and powdered Perilla to cover or modify the odor of dog meat.

Real dog meat lovers prefer steamed dog meat to stew, btw.


Bundaegi is not so crunchy, but not soft, either.


Many Koreans HATE fermented skate.

But to whom likes it, it's the one of the most delicious Korean food.

It means that there is steep learning curve to really appreciate it.

[JimB52]

I used to raise chickens, and have seen what they walk around in. No feet for me, thanks.

[rr5025]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

+1

Was going to say, sounds similar to Black Pudding.

Black pudding is far more appetizing looking.

[dlenaghan]

Another TBer from/in Korea.. nice to meet you.

Responses to food here always tickle me: people here thinking everything's so original, people from elsewhere thinking it's so unusual, say, raw beef, for instance: first I'd heard of it was in Denmark. Likewise sundae - very much like English/Irish blood puddings (and likewise with to gopjang, I can't understand anyone being averse to intestine if they have ever enjoyed a proper sausage), and certainly eating insect larvae is not at all unusual in East or Southeast Asia, though I much prefer Cambodian tarantula (no joke - stir fried in sauce, it tastes just like beef jerky! Except a bit fuzzy..)

The boshintang thing is rather odious just because I know how those houses get the 'right' taste from the dog before slaughter - beating it to tenderize the meat and to increase the adrenaline response, which is prized for its 'stamina-increasing' properties... and also it's no older than the Korean war, during which the absence of livestock made dogs for much for convenient eating. (This is according to my Korean friends, none of whom partake and see it as a country-hick sort of thing, much the same way as Rocky Mountain oysters are seen by those unfamiliar with the Great Plains..)

Ssaeng nagji's quite good if you can count on the quality, though I've discontinued eating octopus because of their rather obvious intelligence, and dalkbal (chicken feet) seem to me to be the worst part of the bird, save for the feathers, but no one's eating those, are they?

I wonder why juk, especially samgyejuk (chicken rice porridge with oriental spices, like sesame, ginseng, and so forth) are not more widely advertised - it's not much of a leap from chicken noodle soup, and following that, I think samgyetang (same thing but in broth and with more black pepper and salt) would be popular if it was more widely known. Perfect for winter, but (the soup especially) traditionally reserved for summer. Fight fire with fire, thank kind of thinking. Perfect for those winter flus..

As for soju, Andong's the only way to go. Korea's liquor will end up having the same reputation as Rotgut if people are served Jinro and Bohae products.

The great thing about that is here, there's no law against home distillation. You just can't share it. The best makgeolli (rice beer) I've ever had I made with my own hands, but I've excellent teachers for the last year or so on that front. Trying to drink a green bottle of that noxious stuff they sell at Family Mart is unthinkable..

My own favorite food here is jeon (a kind of pancake usually made with common vegetables and/or seafood) - especially oyster jeon, and also fresh golbaengi (sea snails).. Busan's the place for that.

All I know is people need to get out more, whether it's expats in Korea actually trying a decent dish and not getting turned off by some crap from Gimbap Nara (a terrible fast-food equivalent of fishless sushi), or Koreans traveling all the way to Cambodia and only eating bibimbap because they're somehow put out by Khmer food, which is astonishing when done right (but most food is astonishing when done right)...

Where are you in the country? Seoul?