[Food] Jogijjigae & the Story of Jaringobi (조기찌개 & 자린고비, Dried Yellow Corvina Stew and Korean Scrooge)

[Food]

[Food] Jogijjigae & the Story of Jaringobi (조기찌개 & 자린고비, Dried Yellow Corvina Stew and Korean Scrooge) 

Dried Yellow Corvina (Croaker)

Once upon a time during the Chosun dynasty in Korea, there lived Mr. Reuk Joh in Eum-sung, Choongchung province (central region of the Korean peninsula). As a child, he was a slave who struggled to earn money to set himself free but he eventually became a very rich person in his region. So, he obviously became very stingy, economical and thrifty.

People called him 'Jaringobi', which means 'As merciful as a parent' or 'Very stingy and thrifty person who even stint small dirt' (I'll tell you why he gained the nickname of 'As merciful as a parent' a little later).

Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge, the western counterpart of Jaringobi in Korea

There are a few funny episodes regarding Mr. Joh's (Jaringobi) nickname.

Story #1
One day, Jaringobi bought some gulbi (Dried yellow corvina) and brought it home. However, he didn't cook it for dinner but just hung it from the ceiling. Jaringobi then said to his family, "Look at this gulbi once for one spoon of rice  because this gulbi is very salty". One of his children looked at the gulbi twice and was hit on the head with a spoon and was told "I told you to look at it once only! Twice makes it too salty!"

Story #2
On another day, he saw a fly inside his bean paste jar which flew off with bean paste on its legs. Jaringobi got so mad at this fly that he chased it to the next village and finally caught it. However, he wiped bean paste off of the fly's legs and ate it, then let the fly go.

Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge, the western counterpart of Jaringobi in Korea

Jaringobi is a very well-known stingy Korean because of such stories.

Nevertheless, he helped and saved people in his village with money and food when the village was damaged by a severe drought. People in village thanked him deeply and were touched by his good deeds and support. So they established a monument commemorating his contribution for the village. People named the monument 'Jaringobi' which means 'Monument for someone as merciful as a parent', so Mr. Neuk Joh's nickname became 'Jaringobi' since then.

Corvinas for delicious stew on potato chunks

Meanwhile, the south-western region of the Korean peninsula cooks stew with yellow corvina. They put bracken, potatoes, radish, mushrooms, red and green Korean chili, spring onion, garlic and ginger into the stew to make Jogijjigae (Corvina stew). One famous traditional Korean food expert said "Jogijjigae is the best stew in Korea", because corvina is a very tasty and savory fish as a stew.

I haven't yet tasted Jogijjigae but I really want to have dinner with it in the future :)

Bon Appétit!

[Food] Gulbi (굴비, Dried Yellow Corvina)

[Food]

[Food] Gulbi (굴비, Dried Yellow Corvina)

A corvina / croaker {It's called Jogi (조기) in Korean}

Once upon a time in the 12th century of Korea when Goryeo dynasty ruled the Korean peninsula. Mr. Ja-kyum Lee, who was father-in-law of King Injo of Goryeo dynasty, was exiled to Bubsungpo, Younggwang of Jeonnam province for committing a treason against the king.

At Bubsungpo of Younggwang, he tasted a jogi (corvina / croaker) that was dried by sea breeze and salt and it was so nice. Therefore Mr. Lee devoted Bubsungpo's jogi to King Injo with a name 'Gul-Bi' on it which means 'I never give in'. Since then, sea breeze and salt dried jogi was named 'Gul-Bi' and this name is still used in today's Korea :)

Bubsungpo, Younggwang, Jeonnam (South-western province of Korea) where famous for Gulbi

Jogi (조기, it means 'give energy' in Korean) had been caught in the Korean peninsula long time ago and it is still very popular and typical fish of Korean dish. Jogi is very expensive fish now, but it was cheap and common fish in 1960~1970 of Korea. The young of Jogi is used for ingredient of fish juice, which is luxurious ingredient for kimchi.

Corvina

Gulbi is a salt-marinated Jogi, it is usually dipped into salt water and dried by see breeze. However Bubsungpo (where famous for Younggwang gulbi) Gulbi uses different method. They marinate jogi by making layers of sea salt and jogi more than a year.

There is another way of making Gulbi which is Bori (Barley) Gulbi, it marinates corvina in sea salt more than 2 years and put sea salt marinated fish into heap of barley. Then these barley absorbs moisture and oil from fish to be dried. Bori gulbi is tastier then normal gulbi because it is less salty and less fishy with scent of barley.

Corvnias are being dried by see breeze to be gulbi

Corvinas are marinated, well dried and ready to go as good gulbi

Well-made gulbis are sold at small and big fish stores, department store and even exported to China and Japan. Gulbi's flesh is very firm, savory, little salty but very soft when it is crushed in mouth. So it is really good side or main dish for meal of Eastern culture with plain rice. Gulbi is usually grilled, roasted and also used in spicy stew in the southwest region of Korea.

'Golden' roasted gulbi

Premium gulbi gift set, it's price tag shows '$700' on it.

In the next article, I will be back with a story about gulbi and Jogijjigae (Spicy Corvina Stew) :)



Bon Appétit!