[Food]

[Food] Nakji (Poulp / small octopus, 낙지)

There's an exotic food in Korea as tasty as deep-fried tarantula legs in Cambodia: Nakji (poulp / small octopus), which is caught in the sea off of the west coast of the Korean peninsula. Nakji is very well-known because Koreans usually enjoy eating the moving legs of nakji, which wiggle a lot.

Even though they are cut and chopped off, their nerves are still active so their legs keep moving and wiggle. Its sucker even sticks to your insides and the roof of your mouth, which makes you feel sorry for eating them alive. I'm sure you don't have the guts to eat live nakji, so there are some alternative ways for cooking nakji :)

Given that nakji's flesh is very chewy and full of protein, it's very nice when stir-fried with spicy sauce, grilled and boiled. Nakji-bokkeum (Stir-fried spicy poulp) and Yeonpo-tang (Poulp soup) are typical dishes of nakji.

Nakji-bokkeum (Stir-fried spicy poulp) is a very spicy and savory dish,l which Koreans love eating with soju (Korean rice wine). It goes really well with pork belly, bean sprout and rice.

Yeonpo-tang (Nakji soup) is very mild, full of seafood and savory with clean soup and a lot of vegetables. It's the best choice for people who cannot eat hot and spicy food because they can enjoy nakji without any risk :)

Nakji is also named 'food for men' in Korea because it provides one with stamina and taurine which helps people recover from fatigue. No wonder many people love it :)

Bon Appétit!