''Chueo-tang'' () or loach soup
is a ''
tang
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...
'' (soup) made from
pond loach, a freshwater fish.
[
*] The southwestern Korean city of
Namwon is known for its version of the dish.
Etymology
''Chueo'' () is a nickname for
pond loach, called ''mikkuraji'' () in Korean. ''
Tang
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...
'' () means soup.
History and tradition
As irrigated rice paddies are drained after ''
chubun'' (autumnal equinox), chubby pond loaches, ready for hibernation, are easily caught in the ditches dug around paddy fields.
''Chueo-tang'' (추어탕) is often a featured dish in banquets for the elderly.
In
Hanyang (now Seoul) during the
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
era, the guild of licensed
panhandler
Begging (also panhandling) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars may operate in public plac ...
s mandated that its members beg only for ''
bap'' (cooked rice), not ''
banchan'' (side dishes) or ''
guk'' (soup).
(The practice was intended to maintain dignity and differentiate members from unlicensed beggars.) As an accompaniment to the rice, Panhandlers hunted pond loaches and made ''chueo-tang.'' They were also granted the exclusive rights to sell ''chueo-tang'' in the city.
Preparation
Pond loaches are boiled in water until very tender, and sieved to remove bones and skins.
The sieved flesh along with beef or chicken broth is then boiled again and seasoned with
gochujang
''Gochujang'' (, from Korean: , ) or red chili paste
* is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from gochu-garu (chili powder), glutinous rice, ''meju'' (fermented soybean) powder, ''yeotgireum'' ...
(chili paste), ''
doenjang'' (soybean paste), grated ginger, and ground black pepper.
Vegetable ingredients include
mung bean sprouts,
Asian royal fern,
scallions,
napa cabbages, and
mustard greens.
The soup is often served with ground
chopi Chopi may refer to:
* Chopi people, an ethnic group of Mozambique
* Chopi language, a Bantu language spoken along the southern coast of Mozambique
* Chopi blackbird (''Gnorimopsar chopi''), a bird of family Icteridae
* A spice made from ''Zanthoxylu ...
peppercorns, along with
Korean mint leaves (in
Yeongnam region) or
perilla powder (in
Honam
Honam (; literally "south of the lake") is a region coinciding with the former Jeolla Province in what is now South Korea. Today, the term refers to Gwangju, South Jeolla and North Jeolla Provinces. The name "Jeonla-do" is used in the names of th ...
region).
chopi Chopi may refer to:
* Chopi people, an ethnic group of Mozambique
* Chopi language, a Bantu language spoken along the southern coast of Mozambique
* Chopi blackbird (''Gnorimopsar chopi''), a bird of family Icteridae
* A spice made from ''Zanthoxylu ...
, ground perilla seeds, and garlic chive
''Allium tuberosum'' (garlic chives, Oriental garlic, Asian chives, Chinese chives, Chinese leek) is a species of plant native to the Chinese province of Shanxi, and cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in Asia and around the world.
Descripti ...
s
See also
* ''
Dojō nabe
''Dojo nabe'' (Japanese: 泥鰌鍋 or ドジョウ鍋; dojō nabe) is a Japanese ''nabemono'' dish. To prepare the dish, pond loaches are cooked in a hot pot. The freshwater fishes are either killed ahead of cooking or are first soaked in cold sa ...
'', Japanese pond loach stew
*
List of soups
References
{{reflist, 30em
Fish dishes
Korean soups and stews