Gopchang [2] (Korean : 곱창) is a dish in Korean cuisine. It can refer to either the small intestines of cattle,the large intestines of pigs,or a gui (grilled dish) made of the small intestines. [1] [2] The latter is also called gopchang-gui (곱창구이;"grilled intestines"). The tube-shaped offal is chewy with rich elastic fibers. [3]
It can be stewed in a hot pot ( gopchang-jeongol, 곱창전골),grilled over a barbecue (gopchang-gui),boiled in soup with other intestines ( naejang-tang ),or made into a sausage ( sundae ). [4]
In the past,gopchang was a popular,nutritious,and cheap dish for the general public. [5] Rich in iron and vitamins,it was served as a health supplement for improving a weak constitution,recovering patients,and postpartum depression. [5] Today,gopchang is also regarded as a delicacy and is more expensive than regular meat of the same weight. [5] It is a popular anju (food served and eaten with soju). [6]
The intestines are cleaned thoroughly,rubbed with wheat flour and coarse salt,and rinsed several times. [3] The fat is trimmed off,and the cleaned gopchang is soaked in water to remove any traces of blood. [1] Garlic,ginger,onion,cooking wine,black pepper,and Korean pepper are common marinating ingredients,mainly used for eliminating any unpleasant odors and tenderizing the meat of gopchang. [1] [3]
Ingredients for gopchang-gui marinade are juiced,rather than minced,so that they don't burn during the grilling process. [7] Common ingredients include soy sauce, gochutgaru (chili powder), mullyeot (rice syrup), cheongju (rice wine),onion juice,apple juice,garlic juice,scallion juice,and ginger juice. [7]
The gopchang is first marinated in the seasonings and spices,then grilled on a lightly greased pan or griddle. [7] Onions and bell peppers are often grilled together with gopchang. [7] Grilled gopchang is often served dipped in salt and sesame oil. [7] After that,usually Bokkumbab (볶음밥;"fried rice") is cooked with Gopchang oil.
Gopchang of pork big intestines is usually called dwaeji-gopchang (돼지곱창;"pig gopchang").
In Korean cuisine,food similar to gopchang prepared with beef blanket tripe is called yang-gopchang (양곱창;"rumen gopchang"), [5] while the one prepared with beef reed tripe is called makchang (막창;"last tripe"), [5] and the one with beef large intestines is called daechang (대창;"big innards"). [8]
Internationally,gopchang could be compared to chitterlings (pork's small intestines) or Latin American chunchullo (beef,pork,or lamb's small intestines). The Spanish/Portuguese term tripas or the English tripe also occasionally referred to as small beef's intestines,attesting to the practice of consuming animal intestines as a truly worldwide phenomenon.
Some foods have tripe in their dishes,such as stir-fried tripe and gopchang jeongol.
'Nak-Gop-Sae(낙곱새)' is a spicy soup with octopus,tripe,and shrimp,and is also loved as a side dish that is sometimes good to eat with alcohol. It is said that this food was first developed in Busan,South Korea. [9]