Salted Pollock Tripe

Changnan-jeot is jeotgal made from the intestines of the Alaska pollock (myeongtae). It belongs to the pollock tradition of the East Sea coast, where nothing from the fish was wasted: the Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture notes that the gills became seogeori-jeot, the roe myeongnan-jeot and the intestines changnan-jeot. As the pollock catch grew, the roe and guts left over from processing were gathered and salted separately.

Fermenting fish guts is far older than pollock fishing. The 6th-century Chinese agricultural manual Qimin yaoshu tells of a Han emperor who, pursuing the “eastern barbarians” to the tip of the Shandong peninsula, traced a fine smell to fishermen burying fish entrails in jars. The folk encyclopedia reads that passage as an early changnan-jeot, but the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture is more careful: those were the guts of whatever fish was caught in surplus, not necessarily pollock. Since pollock only became a regular part of the Korean diet in the middle of the Joseon dynasty, it dates changnan-jeot proper to that period or later.

Production was centered on the Gangwon coast, with smaller amounts along the Incheon–Gyeonggi shore and the south coast around Busan; Gangneung changnan-jeot is known for its aroma, chewy bite and reddish-gray color. Makers prize intestines from fresh (not frozen) pollock and those cleaned by hand rather than by machine. Today it is sold everywhere, whole or cut into short, ready-seasoned lengths.

• Protein in a small portion: the folk encyclopedia puts the protein content of changnan-jeot at about 11.5%, and during fermentation the gut's own enzymes break much of it down into the amino acids and peptides that give it its savory depth.
• B12, iodine and selenium: in the composition table, a 20 g serving supplies about 0.8 µg of vitamin B12, 33 µg of iodine and 9 µg of selenium.
• Omega-3s — in small amounts: Korean references note that DHA and EPA make up an unusually large share of its fat, but the fat content is low, so a serving contains only around 15–20 mg of the two combined by the table's figures.

• Gangneung and the Gangwon coast: the heartland — long-cured, distinctly aromatic and pleasantly chewy.
• Industrial method: intestines are washed and soaked in about 3% brine, drained, packed with roughly 25% salt and aged for about three months in a cool place before seasoning.
• With radish: a 1950s cookbook by Bang Sin-yeong suggests mixing it into kkakdugi, or folding salted, squeezed radish strips through seasoned changnan-jeot and leaving it a week before eating.
• Quick seasoning: the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture describes cutting the intestines into 3–4 cm lengths, coloring them first with chili powder, then adding minced red chili, garlic, green onion and ginger juice.