Draft:Amook

• Comment: We need heavier focus in all available significant sourcing, and also remember that Wikipedia is not a cookbook. SwisterTwister talk 19:10, 17 July 2017 (UTC)

---

AMOOK

-Amook (plural: Amooks) is a Korean food item made with minced white-meat fish and some starch. Usually, it is deep-fried, roasted or steamed before consumption.

Name

It is sometimes referred to as “fishcake”. As a slang, Amook from food trucks is called “Oden” but Oden refers to a soup with Amook, daikon (winter radish), and konjac jelly (devil’s tongue). The term “Oden” originated from Japanese word “Denkaku” meaning roasted miso sauced tofu skewer. When ‘Denkaku’ was served inside of broth, Japanese people started to add the prefix ‘o’ and called it ‘Oden’. The Japanese style of Amook is Kamaboko and it is different from ‘Amook’ (Korean style). In Japan, white fish is puréed and steamed into a loaf which is known as ‘Kamaboko’. An alternative style of Japanese fish cake is ‘Satsuma-age’ which is fried fish cake. Interestingly, Japanese consume solid ingredients only if Amook is served in broth. However, in Korea, people enjoy both soup and Amook. Koreans boil skewed Amook in a broth and sell it in street cars where people can eat with preferred drinks and dipping sauce. Also, Koreans enjoy Amook bars and Amook croquettes. In addition to the aforementioned dishes, Koreans enjoy using Amook as sub-ingredient in their recipes to cook different dishes. For example, boiled soy sauce Amook, Amook stew, and fried Amook.

File:어묵고로케.png

Amook Croquette

Amook Bar

As the reputation for “Busan Amook” grew rapidly since shortly after the outbreak of Korean war to 2000s, manufacturers from different regions imprudently labeled “Busan Amook” or “Made in Busan” on their products. As a result, the Busan Fish Market gradually has been eroded by the companies that are not from Busan. In 2014 the Municipal government of Busan registered “Busan Amook” on Regional Collective Mark to protect the local market and processors. Nowadays, there are more than 60 companies in Busan that uses “Busan Amook” as their label.

History

Amook originated from Japan during Muromachi period. In Korea, it first appears as “kamaboko” in a recipe compilation, “So Moon Sa Sul” written by 18th century Korean diplomat, Pyo Lee. However, manufacturing process for kamaboko differs from that of Amook, so it is unclear whether kamaboko in his book actually refers to Amook or not.

In “Jin Youn Ui Gue” 1719, written by the 19th king of Chosun Dynasty, Sukjong, the term “Fish Suk Pyun” appears and it is assumed to be Korean Amook. The ingredients of “Fish Suk Pyun” includes: three large fishes, soy sauce (three tea spoons), starch, sesame pine nut. “Jin Youn Ui Gue” does not include the instruction of how to make Fish Suk Pyun, however Kim Sang Bong assumed that it was cooked by mashing the large fish and mixing it with soy sauce, starch and sesame oil. The mixed paste would be steamed and served with the pine nut dipping sauce. Later on, in “Jin Chan Ui Gue” and “Jin Youn Ui Gue (1901)”, Fish Sku Pyun was called “ Sangsun (fish) Moon Ju”.

Amook was first introduced in Korea during Japanese Colonial Period, and the first Amook processing plant in Korea was Dongkwang Food founded by Sang Jo Lee in BooPyung Traditional Market during 1950s in Busan. Around this time of period, Jagalchi Fish Market which is located near BooPyung Traditional Market, was the biggest fish market in Korea. Nevertheless, fish were still rare and expensive in the other regions in Korea. Busan, compared to other regions in Korea had a higher supply of fish for lower price due its geographical advantage and Traditional Markets located near coastline. In 1953, Jaedok Park who learned Amook processing from Japan founded Samjin Amook (Samjin Fishcake Co.) which has the longest history in Korea. It was shortly after the outbreak of Korean War and many refugees migrated to Busan, resulting in booming Amook industry. Amook is rich in protein and contains unsaturated fatty acid which destroys cholesterol in blood vessels. So Amook has become a food item loved by any Korean person.

During this period, factory managers from Dongkwang Food and Samjin Amook started a joint venture, Hwangong Amook. From 1950s to 1960s, myriad Amook processing factories emerged such as Samjin, Dongkwang, Mido, Youngjin, Hwangong, and Daewon, which marked the prosperous period of amook industry. Samho F&G was the first conglomerate to enter Amook production in 1985. This was when the term, Amook, was used for the first time. However, the term Amook appears on newspaper for the first time in 1969.

In early 1990s, “Busan Amook” commonly sold in food trucks became a trend. The term “Busan Amook” started referring to long, sausage-shaped Amook. Since the food trucks usually served Amook with a hot broth, Amook became one of the most popular fast food in winter season. Even in contemporary Korea, Amook food trucks can be easily spotted on major downtown streets.

In 2010s, Amook industry in Korea went through a major transformation from the public perception of Amook as a fast food to a recognized delicacy. In 2013 December, Samjin Amook for the first time in Korea, established an Amook bakery. A store that sells various kinds of Amooks in a bakery style. Up to this day, Samjin Amook solidified unique conception and public image of Amook. Other Amook processors attempted to transform their stores and diversified their menus to secure lucrative positions and market competitiveness.

Composition & Ingredients

In the past, Amook processors used bycatches as a main ingredient due to the price competitiveness and the lack of available fish stocks. After the outbreak of Korean War, it was nearly impossible for Amook processing plants to procure better ingredients. Such past practices have played a role in building the misconstrued perceptions that Amook cannot possibly have good quality and that no one knows what it is made of.

However, in 21st century, as the available fish stocks have become stable and the demand for better and fresh ingredients has brought about a change in Amook industry. Instead of using the cheap bycatches, most Amook processors began using more credible imported fish species. Now in Busan, most Amooks are made from Alaska Pollock, Pacific Whiting, Hake and Threadfin Bream. The most common fish used for Amook is Alaska Pollock. Even nowadays, a significant number of Koreans doubt the quality and freshness of the ingredients being used in Amook industry. Koreans still possess a preconception that Amook is processed in unsanitary environment. Inevitably, Amook processors had to implement higher standard of sanitation system into their factories in order to survive in the food market. Samjin Amook decided to impose a regulation that requires all the workers in the factory to wear sanitation overalls. Followed by Samjin Amook, other Amook processors started to implement sanitation environment in their factories with their own strategies.