Eomuk Tang (Fish Cake Soup)

Eomuk-tang is a simple soup of fish cakes simmered in a light broth, usually made from dried anchovy, kelp and radish. Many Koreans still call it odeng-tang. The Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture explains the tangle of names: the fish cake itself came from Japanese kamaboko, while oden is properly the Japanese dish of many ingredients stewed in a dashi broth — but in Korea the fish cake, the main thing in the pot, took over the word odeng. In 1949 the Korean Language Society proposed saengseon-muk to replace kamaboko, without much success, and in 1992 the National Institute of the Korean Language settled on eomuk.

Ground fish had a long but separate Korean history. Around 1740 the Somun saseol described a rolled, layered fish dish its author called kamabokot after the Japanese word, though made quite differently. Japanese-style fish cakes arrived with the colonial period: the folk encyclopedia notes they were made from about 1910 in port towns with Japanese settlements, including Incheon, Mokpo and Busan, and the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture records Japanese-run fish-cake shops in Busan's Bupyeong market. See the colonial era.

After liberation, Busan became the fish-cake capital. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture names Donggwang Sikpum as the first Korean-run factory, and both encyclopedias describe how wartime refugees crowding into the city made cheap fried fish cake a staple; Samjin Sikpum, founded on Yeongdo in 1950, is one of the oldest firms still operating. In the city's cheap drinking houses, a pot of odeng-tang served as a meeting place. Today skewered fish cakes in broth are a fixture of street stalls and snack shops nationwide, usually beside tteokbokki, with cups of the broth handed out to anyone who asks. See Korean street food.

• A light, low-fat soup by the MFDS analysis, with modest protein from the fish and a useful amount of selenium.
• Radish and greens add vegetables; adding tofu, egg or more radish makes a more balanced bowl.
• The broth draws on two pantry staples, dried anchovies and kelp; see making yuksu broth.

• Busan: the city's makers hold to a standard of at least 70% fish in their fish cakes, which both encyclopedias credit for their firm, springy texture; the city added fish cake to its premium seafood brand program in 2007.
• Skewered street style (kkochi-eomuk): folded sheets or long tubes of fried fish cake on skewers, kept hot in broth at stalls and snack bars; the folk encyclopedia notes that in some places the broth is spicy.
• Home style: sliced or mixed fish cakes, radish, tofu or boiled egg in a clear broth seasoned with soup soy sauce; a spoonful of gochugaru turns it red.
• Drinking-house pot: the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture recalls odeng-tang as the shared pot of Busan's cheap drinking houses; see anju and drinking culture.