Pollock roe

Last updated
Alaska pollock roe
Alaska pollack liver roe milt.jpg
Alaska pollack's liver (top, center), roe (left), and milt (bottom)

Traditionally, myeongnan-jeot was made before dongji (winter solstice). Intact skeins of Alaska pollock roe are washed carefully with salt water, then salted in a sokuri (bamboo basket). The ratio of salt to roe ranges from less than 5:100 to more than 15:100. After 2–3 days, salted and drained roe is marinated for at least a day with fine gochutgaru (chilli powder) and finely minced garlic. myeongnan-jeot is usually served with sesame seeds or some drops of sesame oil.

Myeongnan-jeot, whether raw, dried, and/or cooked, is a common banchan (side dish) and anju (food served with alcoholic beverages). It is also used in a variety of dishes, such as gyeran-jjim (steamed egg), bokkeum-bap (fried rice), and recently in Korean-style Italian pasta dishes.

Myeongnan-jeot is a specialty of South Hamgyong Province of North Korea, and Gangwon Province and Busan of South Korea.

Japan

Mentaiko, adapted from Korean myeongnan-jeot, [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] hence the name mentai (derived from the Korean myeongtae, 명태, 明太, meaning pollack) + ko (Korean 알, 子, meaning baby/roe), is common in Japan. It is made in a variety of flavors and colors and is available at airports and main train stations. It is usually eaten with onigiri, but is also enjoyed by itself with sake. A common variety is spicy mentaiko ( 辛子明太子 , karashi mentaiko). It is a product of the Hakata ward of Fukuoka City. Milder version is called tarako (鱈子),

Recently in Japan, mentaiko pasta has become common. Mentaiko is mixed with butter or mayonnaise and used as a sauce for spaghetti. Thin strips of nori (海苔) and shiso leaves are often sprinkled on top.

Pollack roe is dipped in a seasoning liquid. This method was invented in the grocery store "Fukuya(ふくや)" and became common in Japan. [15] [16]

Mentaiko was nominated as Japan's number one side dish in the Japanese weekly magazine, Shūkan Bunshun . [17]

Tarako is served in a number of ways: plain (usually for breakfast), [18] as a filling for onigiri , and as a pasta sauce (usually with nori ). Traditionally, tarako was dyed bright red, but recent concerns about the safety of food coloring have all but eliminated that custom. [18] In Kyūshū, tarako is commonly served with red chili pepper flakes.

Russia

In Russia, pollock roe is consumed as a sandwich spread. The product, resembling liquid paste due to the small size of eggs and oil added, is sold as canned food.

As mentioned above, in Russian, the word for pollock roe is the same as for the caviar: "ikra". The same goes to a dish, known to the French as "caviar d'aubergine": "кабачковая икра", although it's a spread made of eggplants.

To make the pollock roe taste in a caviar-like way, one should make a butterbrot first e.g. to apply butter to the bread before adding the canned pollock roe. This will smoothen the excessive saltiness of the canned roe.

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. ↑ i.e., tara (鱈; 'cod's')ko (子; 'child'), however, since pollock bears the name suketōdara (介党鱈) it is linguistically understood to be subtype of the tara or 'cod', so this is not exactly a misnomer in the Japanese language.
  2. ↑ Whereas hontarako is usually sold raw, to be made into nitsuke (simmered or braise) or made into the soy sauce preserved tsukudani . [5]
  3. ↑ That is to say, the sources treat mentaiko and karashi-mentaiko are synonyms, and thus interchangeable. Note that 'chili' is more formally tōgarashi [3] = tō 'foreign, Chinese' + karashi 'mustard'. [2] [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sugimoto, Tsutomu [in Japanese] (2005). Gogenkai語源海 (in Japanese). Tokyo Shoseki. p. 288. ISBN   4487797438.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Uchida, Hirotsugu; Watanobe, Masamichi (2008). "Walleye pollack (Suketoudara) fishery management in the Hiyama region of Hokkaido, Japan". In Townsend, R.; Shotton, R.; Uchida, H. (eds.). Case Studies in Fisheries Self-governance. Food & Agriculture Org. p. 163. ISBN   9789251058978.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mouritsen, Ole G. [in Danish]; Styrbæk, Klavs (2023). Rogn: Meget mere end rogn. Gyldendal A/S. ISBN   9788702392029. karashi-mentaiko (mentaiko) - krydret variant af tarako, som er saltet torskerogn.. med.. japansk chili (togarashi) [karashi-mentaiko (mentaiko) - spicy variant of tarako, which is salted cod roe...with.. Japanese chili (togarashi).]
  4. 1 2 OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2009). "Caviar substitutes". Multilingual Dictionary of Fish and Fish Products. John Wiley & Sons. p. 39. ISBN   9781444319422.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Koizumi, Takeo [in Japanese] (2002). Shoku to nihonjin no chie食と日本人の知恵 (in Japanese). Iwanami Shoten. pp. 401, 662. ISBN   9784006030520.
  6. ↑ Cha, Sang-eun (12 September 2015). "A hit abroad, pollock roe is rallying at home". Korea Joongang Daily . Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "遠藤元閑（1696年）『茶湯献立指南』、「鱈の子は北国より出る名物也」" (JPG). Archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  8. 1 2 "I asked store owner of Fukuya why the mentaiko is a local specialty of Hakata". dailyportalz. 2 April 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Mentaiko and the Japanese People". JACAR Newsletter. 4 February 2016. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Busan, the City of Pollock Roe". Lotte Hotel Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Fukuoka Food Guide". japan-guide.com. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  12. 1 2 Preston Matt (27 October 2015). The Simple Secrets to Cooking Everything Better. Plum. ISBN   9781743547618. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  13. 1 2 Yuto Omura (28 July 2021). "Japanese Mentaiko Pasta (Cod Roe Spaghetti)". Sudachi Recipes. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  14. 1 2 Grace Keh (18 September 2014). "Mentaiko Spaghetti Recipe (明太子)". Sffood.net. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  15. ↑ 産経新聞 (2016-10-05). "【九州の礎を築いた群像】辛子めんたいこ編（２）誕生". 産経新聞：産経ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-03-03.
  16. ↑ "Mentaiko for sale - Hakata Nakasu Aji no Mentaiko Fukuya". 味の明太子ふくや (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-03-03.
  17. ↑ Ahn Min-jeong (6 May 2011). "일본인 좋아하는 밥반찬에 한국의 그것?". JPNews. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  18. 1 2 Ashkenazi, Michael; Jacob, Jeanne (2003). Food Culture in Japan. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 58–9. ISBN   0-313-32438-7. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  19. ↑ Новейшая энциклопедия здорового питания. ОЛМА Медиа Групп. p. 124. ISBN   9785765435588.
Salted Alaska pollock roe
Korean name
Hangul 명란젓
Hanja 明卵-
Literal meaningAlaska pollock roe jeotgal
Transcriptions
Revised Romanization myeongnan-jeot
McCune–Reischauer myŏngnan-chŏt
Bap
Banchan
Soup
Guksu
Kimchi
Sweets and snacks
( Gansik )
Beverages
Royal court dishes
Bread
( Ppang )
Ingredients
Guksu
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