“Have you ever tried the Hongeo?”
“I have no idea what it is.”
“It’s our fermented fish dish … a treat. You must taste it! ”
When my Korean friend asked me to eat this specialty of his beautiful Asian peninsula, I didn’t know what was ahead of us…
He explains that the Hongeo was born in the Jeolla province, in the south-west of the South Korea and consists of a fish (which is a skate fish belonging to the family of “Rajidae”) fermented for few months. Once the process is finished it’s cut into a few centimeters strips, becoming a sort of sashimi. And so far, nothing too weird as it is not the first time I taste “fermented things”, especially here in South Korea!
He also adds that the fish has a very strong smell and that it takes time and more tastings to appreciate its taste.
Being a big fan of strange foods I ask him to try it immediately.
He continue explaining that it’s usually eaten raw, as it is or with a slice of pork and some kimchi (hongeo samhap), I can just imagine it as an explosion of taste!
We buy it and we sit down to the table.
I usually eat all the edible foods that the local proposed to me, some probably are not too much eatable. Usually those who invite me to the tasting always have a smile and a certain defiance, as if they were testing my courage and adaptability. I’ve never had particular problems to swallow weird food and I’ve enjoyed almost all of it.
But for what concerns the Hongeo … it’s not easy to say that you can appreciate it!
As soon as the plate is released from the plastic wrap the smell that emanates is really uninviting. There are other foods that are not very pleasant to smell but that are not bad to eat: one above all the “stinky tofu” (臭豆腐 / chòudòufu), also fermented but with a decidedly pleasant taste, in Taiwan is found almost everywhere and is much appreciated. Even our cheese doesn’t have a good smell and often the more it stinks and the more is good!
But this time it smell of ammonia and is definitely strong, even if the dish we are trying is not the most powerful because it has only about a month of fermentation. They explain me that it can take up to three months of this process and I do not dare to imagine what it is to be near these fish slices or try to put one in the mouth.
The nose has been inserted above the mouth for a reason: smell the food and understand whether to swallow it or not. So the stimulus that starts from the brain when you are in front of the Hongeo is certainly not the one that makes you mouth watering, if you are not used to it.
I stare for a moment the slice of raw fish and approach it to the lips, if too much hesitation the smell of ammonia go straight into the nose and makes the attempt to taste the delicacy much more difficult. At the first bite I find that the consistency is very crispy because the fish is cartilaginous. And this makes the test of eating the Hongeo even more difficult: if I did not like a particular food I always chewed it quickly and threw it down my throat as soon as possible, then catch the first glass of beer to wash away the taste. But in this case the chew of this raw fish that crunches under the teeth proceeds for an interminable period in which the unpleasant smell does not subside and goes to wrap up to the deepest part of the soul.
The first bite certainly is not the best: I think I spit it out before throwing up. But I remember what I’ve always said “If they can eat it, I can eat that too” and it’s still a challenge with myself that I do not want to lose. I decide to continue the endless chewing before throwing down the bite. You survive anyway, especially drinking a bit of makgeolli (a typical Korean alcoholic beverage) after having swallowed it.
Probably eaten as hongeo samhap would be better, the taste of pork and the strong kimchi might (perhaps …!) cover a bit of the smell of the Hongeo.
I still eata couple of other slices, but I decide it’s enough … the fermented Korean food won the challenge and the first place as the most terrible I’ve ever had!
Why it smells like that and why do they eat it?
This particular fish does not expel urine as usually do all the other living things on this planet, but it does so through the skin. It follows that fermenting the fish produces ammonia, a characteristic that leads to two conclusions: the fish is very well preserved (in the past it was an easy food to store and to carry), the fish stinks a lot!
For sure I do not recommend it if you plan to enjoy a normal dinner, but if you are going to test your courage or want to try something totally different and rather strange … good luck!
Update December 2019 …!
I then tried my luck again, could not resist the challenge and a few days ago I tasted the hongeo samhap, the version of super stinky fish with kimchi and bossam (belly pork). The dish is good and definitely more edible. The taste and above all the smell is enriched (and a little covered) by the red layer of fermented cabbage and the one of boiled pork to which is added spicy green pepper and garlic …! Certainly not for everyone, but why not try a dish so extreme once in a lifetime ?? !!
