''Bungeo-ppang'' (; "

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

bread") is a fish-shaped

pastry Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ma ...

stuffed with sweetened

red bean paste Red bean paste () or red bean jam, also called adzuki bean paste or ''anko'' (a Japanese word), is a paste made of red beans (also called "adzuki beans"), used in East Asian cuisine. The paste is prepared by boiling the beans, then mashing or g ...

, which originated from the Japanese

taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake, commonly sold as street food. It imitates the shape of , which it is named after. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened adzuki beans. Other common fillings may be custard, choco ...

. One of South Korea's most popular winter

street foods Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

, the snack is often sold at street stalls, grilled on an appliance similar to a

waffle iron A waffle iron or waffle maker is a utensil or appliance used to cook waffles. It comprises two metal plates with a connecting hinge, molded to create the honeycomb pattern found on waffles. The iron is heated and either batter is poured or dou ...

but with a fish-shaped mold. Red bean paste is the standard filling but many ''bungeo-ppang'' sold as street food are filled with

pastry cream Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency from ...

(called " ''choux''-cream" in South Korea),

pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...

toppings,

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

and others. Usually, it costs about 1,000 won (KRW) for three ''bungeo-ppang''. However, small ''bungeo-ppang'' costs 1,000 won for five and large ''bungeo-ppang'' costs 2,000 won for one, indicating that the price range varies depending on the size.

Etymology

The word ''bungeo-ppang'' is a compound of "

(''bungeo'')" and "

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

(''ppang'')". The

, however, contains no ingredients from its namesake fish or any other fish; rather the name comes from the shape of the pastry.

History

''Bungeo-ppang'' was derived from the Japanese treat, ''

'' (baked sea bream), introduced to Korea around the 1930s when the country was under Japanese rule. According to the 2011 book ''Bungeoppang Has a Family Tree'', ''bungeo-ppang'' began as a mix of Western

waffles A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe used ...

and Eastern

dumplings Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, ...

, as the ''

'' itself was a Japanese adaptation of Western waffles introduced to Japan in the 18th century. The change of fish-shaped pastry continued, as the

sea bream The Sparidae are a family of fish in the order Perciformes, commonly called sea breams and porgies. The sheepshead, scup, and red seabream are species in this family. Most sparids are deep-bodied compressed fish with a small mouth separated by a ...

-shaped ''taiyaki'' became

-shaped ''bungeo-ppang'' in Korea. Although ''bungeo-ppang'''s popularity did not last long, it found its way back into popularity during the 1990s with the retro craze in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. Recently, ''bungeo-ppang'' has been seeing higher demand, so to provide information on remaining stalls, enthusiasts nationwide created a "''bungeoppang'' map." Through Google Maps, users mark the stalls’ locations with brief reviews, prices and opening hours to share with others.

Preparation

''Bungeo-ppang'' batter is made of

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...

baking powder Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent, a mixture of a carbonate or bicarbonate and a weak acid. The base and acid are prevented from reacting prematurely by the inclusion of a buffer such as cornstarch. Baking powder is used to increase ...

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

and/or

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

, and optionally eggs. The batter is poured into a fish-shaped mold in the ''bungeo-ppang'' grill, an appliance similar to a

. Sweetened

with bits of broken beans and bean husk is added, and then more batter is poured to encase the paste. The mold is then closed to grill the pastry until it is golden and crispy.

Gallery

600goodice2.jpg,

Binggrae Binggrae Co., Ltd. (), is a South Korean food and beverage corporation that manufactures ice cream, milk products, and snacks. Binggrae was founded in 1967 by Hong Soon-ji as Daeil Corporation (). The B in the Binggrae Logo is modeled after a hear ...

's ''Ssamanko'', a ''bungeo-ppang'' filled with red bean paste and vanilla ice cream File:Boong o bbang.jpg, ''Bungeo-ppang'' served in

Gardena, California Gardena is a city located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census. ...

References

{{Street food Korean snack food Street food in South Korea

Etymology

History

Preparation

Gallery

See also

References