''Bungeo-ppang'' (; " carp bread") is a fish-shaped pastry stuffed with sweetened red bean paste, 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, choc ...

. One of South Korea's most popular winter street foods, 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 (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, on ...

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 civi ...

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 " carp (''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 food ...

(''ppang'')". The pastry, 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, fish ...

, 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 ...

-shaped ''taiyaki'' became carp-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. 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 increas ...

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

. Sweetened red bean paste 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

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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 region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census. Until 2014, the US census cited the City of Gardena as the plac ...

References

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

Etymology

History

Preparation

Gallery

See also

References