[120202] Good job, Hongeo!




Good job, Hongeo!
Fermented skate of S. Korea wins silver in the ‘world’s most stinky foods’ competition

“Hongeo,” which literally means “red fish” (紅魚), might not be popular even with ordinary Koreans. But it is loved by not a few maniacs for its addictive flavors. Seen in this picture is “Hongeo samhap,” which means harmonious trinity as the fermented stake is served with two other elements – boiled pork belly and fermented kimchi – that perfectly compliment one another. Hongeo lovers usually have sam-hap along with makgeolli, or Korean traditional wine made of rice, but there are some real epicures who enjoy the pure taste of hongeo. (Learn more about hongeo in this Korea JoongAng Daily article)


“Hongeo,” or fermented skate, emerged a hot topic early this week in South Korea, as a foreign tourist information website ranked it on the second place of the world’s top five stinky foods.
Source: TripAdvisor Japan
Last Monday, TripAdvisor Japan made public an infographic, or “tripgraphic” as they call it, featured with a world map of stinky foods and the top five finalists. Some strange names such as Kusaya, Kiviak and Epicure Cheese followed Hongeo, which took the second place. (related story by InventorSpot)
‘What on earth has beaten hongeo then?’ some wondered, as they well knew the foul odor of the fermented skate (which is similar to the smell of ammonia in ill-managed men’s room). It was Surströmming, fermented Baltic herring of Sweden, which took the gold medal.
“I can’t believe hongeo failed to take the top place,” posted one Twitter user in a petite grumbling, which actually was seen as containing a sort of “pride” inside.
In fact, hongeo is not so popular even in its home country – not that it is hated but that only a few enjoy the real flavor and incomparably peculiar taste. For some people, it is simply inedible (or even hard to smell); but for some others, it is a food that they cannot just go without.
I’d say that a life without hongeo would definitely be a “misfortune.” If you’re a real food adventurer, why don’t you try hongeo and makgeolli when you come to Korea next time?

By pushahead
Thursday, February 2, 2012 

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