Pollock roe, also pollack roe (also known as ''tarako'' in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and ''myeongnan'' in

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

), is the

roe Roe, ( ) or hard roe, is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooking, c ...

Alaska pollock The Alaska pollock or walleye pollock (''Gadus chalcogrammus'') is a marine fish species of the cod genus ''Gadus'' and family Gadidae. It is a semi-pelagic Shoaling and schooling, schooling fish widely distributed in the North Pacific Ocean, No ...

(''Gadus chalcogrammus'') which, despite its name, is a species of

cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...

. Salted pollock roe is a popular culinary ingredient in

and

Russian cuisine Russian cuisine is a collection of the different dishes and cooking traditions of the Russians, Russian people as well as a list of culinary products popular in Russia, with most names being known since pre-Soviet times, coming from all kinds ...

Names

The purely Korean name for ''pollock'', ''myeongtae'' can be written with

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

(), which can be read as ''mentai'' in Japanese. But while the Japanese borrowed this name from Korean and called it ''mentaiko'', the term does not retain the original meaning of plain raw roe, but specifically refers the chili pepper-added cured roe, while salt-cured only types are called ''tarako''.

Korean

As aforementioned, Alaska pollock in Korean is ''myeongtae'' (), hence pollock roe is ''myeongnan'' (), a contracted form of the

compound Compound may refer to: Architecture and built environments * Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall ** Compound (fortification), a version of the above fortified with defensive struc ...

with +''ran'' or +''nan'' () meaning "egg (roe)". The salted roe dish is called ''myeongnan-jeot'' (), being considered a type of ''jeot'' () or ''

jeotgal ''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as shrimps, oysters, clams, fish, and roe. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby or solid pi ...

'', which is a category of salted seafood.

Japanese

In Japanese, (salted) pollock roe is called ''tarako'' (), though it literally means 'cod roe', while true cod roe is distinguished by calling it ''hontarako''. The pollock roe, also known as ''momijiko'', are usually salted and dyed red. Pollock roe cured with red chili pepper are ; to put it another way, ''mentaiko'' refers to chili-laced versions of ''tarako'', generally speaking, even if not qualified as ''karashi-mentaiko'' with the prefix meaning 'chili'.

Russian

In Russian, pollock roe is called ''ikra mintaya'' (). The word is also used to referred to the salted roe. The Russian word ''ikra'' () means "roe" and ''mintaya'' () is the singular genitive form of (), which means Alaska pollock. The word is also derived from its Korean cognate, ''myeongtae'' ().

History

Korea

Koreans have been enjoying

pollock Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic ocean, marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. ''Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as "pollock" in North America, Ireland and the Unit ...

roe since the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

era (1392–1897). One of the earliest mentions are from '' Diary of the Royal Secretariat'', where a 1652 entry stated: "The management administration should be strictly interrogated for bringing in

roe instead of

roe." Recipe for salted

roe is found in a 19th-century cookbook, '' Siuijeonseo''.

Japan

A 1696 Japanese book records the use of Alaska pollock's roe in

Hokurikudō is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through the old Japanese geographical region.Nussbaum, "''Hokurikudō''" in Both were situated along the northwestern edge of Honshū. ...

. The dish ''mentaiko'' originates from Korea, but after more than 100 years of modification, most of the pollack roe consumed in Japan is Japanese mentaiko. , who was born in the city of

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

, Korea during the Japanese occupation, founded the oldest mentaiko company in Japan called "Aji no Mentaiko Fukuya" ( :ja:ふくや) after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He made several modifications to myeongnan- jeot to adapt to Japanese tastes and introduced it to Japan as "Karashi mentaiko" ( :ja:辛子明太子), its popular name is "mentaiko". The milder, less spicy version is called '' tarako'' () in Japan.

Consumption

Korea

Traditionally, ''myeongnan-jeot'' was made before ''dongji'' (winter solstice). Intact skeins of

roe are washed carefully with

salt water Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish wate ...

, then salted in a

sokuri ''Sokuri'' (, ) is a round, rimmed woven basket made of finely-split bamboo. It is used for straining washed grains, drying vegetables, or draining fried food in Korea. It measures between 25 and 50 cm in diameter, and has a standing co ...

(bamboo basket). The ratio of salt to roe ranges from less than 5:100 to more than 15:100. After 2–3 days, salted and drained roe is marinated for at least a day with fine

gochutgaru Chili powder (also spelled chile, chilli, or, alternatively, powdered chili) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (in which case it is also sometimes known as chili p ...

(chilli powder) and finely minced

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

. ''myeongnan-jeot'' is usually served with sesame seeds or some drops of

sesame oil Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. The oil is one of the earliest-known crop-based oils. Worldwide mass modern production is limited due to the inefficient manual harvesting process required to extract the oil. ...

. ''Myeongnan-jeot'', whether raw, dried, and/or cooked, is a common

banchan ''Banchan'' ( ; ; ) are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. ''Banchan'' are often set in the middle of the table to be shared. At the center of the table is the secondary main course, such as ''galbi'' or ''bulg ...

(side dish) and anju (food served with alcoholic beverages). It is also used in a variety of dishes, such as ''

gyeran-jjim ''Gyeran-jjim'' (), ''dalgyal-jjim'' () or steamed eggs is a type of ''jjim'', Korean steamed dish. * It is a custardy, casserole-like ''banchan'' (side dish), often seasoned with ''saeu-jeot'' (salted shrimp) or ''myeongnan-jeot'' (salted pollock ...

'' (steamed egg), ''

bokkeum-bap ''Bokkeum-bap'' () or fried rice is a Korean dish made by stir-frying ''bap'' (cooked rice) with other ingredients in oil. * The name of the most prominent ingredient other than cooked rice often appears at the very front of the name of the dish ...

'' (fried rice), and recently in Korean-style Italian pasta dishes. ''Myeongnan-jeot'' is a specialty of

South Hamgyong Province South Hamgyong Province (, ''Hamgyŏngnamdo''; ) is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Hamgyong Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Kor ...

of North Korea, and Gangwon Province and

of South Korea. File:Myeongnanjeot (pollock roe) in a market.jpg, ''

Myeongnan-jeot Pollock roe, also pollack roe (also known as ''tarako'' in Japanese and ''myeongnan'' in Korean), is the roe of Alaska pollock (''Gadus chalcogrammus'') which, despite its name, is a species of cod. Salted pollock roe is a popular culinary ingr ...

'' sold in a market File:Vacuum-packed myeongnanjeot (pollock roe).jpg, Vacuum-packed ''myeongnan-jeot'' File:Myeongnanjeot (pollock roe).jpg, Heavily seasoned ''myeongnan-jeot'' File:Myeongnan-jeot-muchim.jpg, ''Myeongnan-jeot-

muchim ''Namul'' () refers to either a variety of edible greens or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (). On the day of Daeboreum, the first full moon ...

'' (salted pollock roe salad) File:Myeongnan-jeot-gyeran-mari.jpg, ''Myeongnan-jeot-

gyeran-mari ''Gyeran-mari'' (, "rolled-eggs"), ''dalgyal-mari'' () or rolled omelette is a dish in Korean cuisine. It is a savory ''banchan'' (side dish) made with beaten eggs mixed with several finely diced ingredients, then progressively fried and rolled. ...

'' (rolled omelette with salted pollock roe) File:Myeongnanjeot (pollock roe) in jjigae.jpg, ''Myeongnnan-jeot'' in ''

jjigae ''Jjigae'' () are Korean stews. There are many varieties; they are typically made with meat, seafood or vegetables in a broth seasoned with ''gochujang'' (red chilli paste), ''doenjang'' (soy bean paste), '' ganjang'' (soy sauce) or ''saeu-jeot' ...

'' (stew) File:Myeongnanjeot pizza (pollock roe).jpg, ''Myeongnan-jeot''

pizza Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...

Japan

''Mentaiko'', adapted from Korean ''myeongnan-jeot'', hence the name mentai (derived from the Korean ''myeongtae'', 명태, 明太, meaning pollack) + ko (Korean 알, 子, meaning baby/roe), is common in Japan. It is made in a variety of flavors and colors and is available at airports and main train stations. It is usually eaten with

onigiri , also known as or , is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese rice ball made from white rice. It is usually formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes, and wrapped in ''nori'' (seaweed). Onigiri traditionally have sour or salty fillings such as ''um ...

, but is also enjoyed by itself with

sake Sake, , or saki, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asi ...

. A common variety is . It is a product of the

Hakata is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the location o ...

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

Fukuoka City is the sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. The area has long been considered the ...

. Milder version is called ''tarako'' (), Recently in Japan, mentaiko pasta has become common. Mentaiko is mixed with butter or mayonnaise and used as a sauce for spaghetti. Thin strips of

nori Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, usually made from species of the red algae genus ''Pyropia'', including ''P. yezoensis'' and ''Pyropia tenera, P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is generally made in ...

(海苔) and

shiso ''Perilla frutescens'' var. ''crispa'', also known by its Japanese name shiso (), is a cultigen of '' Perilla frutescens'', a herb in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is native to the mountainous regions of China and India, but is now found world ...

leaves are often sprinkled on top. Pollack roe is dipped in a seasoning liquid. This method was invented in the grocery store "''Fukuya(ふくや)''" and became common in Japan. Mentaiko was nominated as Japan's number one side dish in the Japanese weekly magazine, ''

Shūkan Bunshun is a Japanese weekly tabloid ( shūkanshi) based in Tokyo, Japan, known for its investigative journalism and frequent clashes with the Japanese government. This has led to it being considered one of the most influential weekly magazines in the ...

''. Tarako is served in a number of ways: plain (usually for breakfast), as a filling for ''

'', and as a

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

sauce (usually with ''

''). Traditionally, tarako was dyed bright red, but recent concerns about the safety of

food coloring Food coloring, color additive or colorant is any dye, pigment, or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or beverages. Colorants can be supplied as liquids, powders, gels, or pastes. Food coloring is commonly used in commercia ...

have all but eliminated that custom. In

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...

, tarako is commonly served with red

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

flakes. File:Tarako.jpg, ''Tarako'' File:Mentaiko.jpg, ''Mentaiko'' File:Baked mentaiko by ayustety in Marunouchi, Tokyo.jpg, Baked ''mentaiko'' File:Mentaiko Chazuke (15442101167).jpg, ''Mentaiko-

chazuke ''Chazuke'' ( 茶漬け, ちゃづけ) or ''ochazuke'' ( お茶漬け, from ( o)''cha'' ' tea' + ''tsuke'' 'submerge') is a simple Japanese dish made by pouring green tea,nori Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, usually made from species of the red algae genus ''Pyropia'', including ''P. yezoensis'' and ''Pyropia tenera, P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is generally made in ...

strips File:Tarako_spaghetti.jpg, ''Tarako'' spaghetti

Russia

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, pollock roe is consumed as a sandwich spread. The product, resembling liquid paste due to the small size of eggs and oil added, is sold as

canned food Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although unde ...

. As mentioned above, in Russian, the word for pollock roe is the same as for the

caviar Caviar or caviare is a food consisting of salt-cured roe of the family Acipenseridae. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or spread. Traditionally, the term caviar refers only to roe from wild sturgeon in the Caspi ...

: "''ikra''". The same goes to a dish, known to the French as "''caviar d'aubergine''": "кабачковая икра", although it's a spread made of eggplants. To make the pollock roe taste in a caviar-like way, one should make a ''

butterbrot In German cuisine, ''Butterbrot'' (literally: butter bread = bread with butter) is a slice of bread topped with butter. Also known as ''boterham'' in Dutch speaking countries, it is still considered ''Butterbrot'' or ''boterham'' even if addit ...

'' first e.g. to apply

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

to the bread before adding the canned pollock roe. This will smoothen the excessive saltiness of the canned roe. File:Бутерброд_с_икрой_минтая_2.jpg, An

open sandwich An open sandwich, also known as an open-face/open-faced sandwich, bread baser, bread platter or tartine, consists of a single slice of bread or toast with one or more food items on top. It has half the number of slices of bread compared to a ty ...

with canned roe File:Alaska pollock roe Russia.jpg, A piece of similar bread with less roe used since ''Ikra mintaya'' (canned roe) is rather salty.