''San-nakji'' () is a variety of ''
hoe'' (raw dish) made with
long arm octopus (''Octopus minor''), a small octopus species called ''nakji'' in Korean and is sometimes translated into "baby octopus" due to its relatively small size compared to the
giant octopus
''Enteroctopus'' is an octopus genus whose members are sometimes known as giant octopuses.
Etymology
The generic name ''Enteroctopus'' was created by Alphonse Tremeau de Rochebrune and Jules François Mabille in 1887 and published in 1889, jo ...
(''Enteroctopus dofleini'').
The octopus is most commonly killed before being cut into small pieces and served, with the nerve activity in the octopus's tentacles making the pieces move posthumously on the plate while served. The octopus's highly complex
nervous system
In biology, the nervous system is the complex system, highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its behavior, actions and sense, sensory information by transmitting action potential, signals to and from different parts of its body. Th ...
, with two-thirds of its
neuron
A neuron (American English), neurone (British English), or nerve cell, is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, excitable cell (biology), cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network (biology), neural net ...
s localised in the nerve cords of its arms, lets the octopus show a variety of
reflex
In biology, a reflex, or reflex action, is an involuntary, unplanned sequence or action and nearly instantaneous response to a stimulus.
Reflexes are found with varying levels of complexity in organisms with a nervous system. A reflex occurs ...
actions that persist even when they have no input from the brain. Less commonly, a live octopus is eaten whole. The dish is sprinkled with
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. ...
and toasted
sesame
Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for ...
seeds.
Language difference
Vocabularies in the two Koreas differ on ''nakji'': South Koreans call ''
Octopus minor
''Octopus minor'' (more strictly ''Callistoctopus minor''), also known as the long arm octopus or the Korean common octopus, is a small-bodied octopus species distributed along the Benthic zone, benthic coastal waters bordering China, Japan, and t ...
'', a small kind of octopus (often mistranslated as "baby octopus") ''nakji'', while North Koreans call a
squid
A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida (though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also ...
''nakji'' (''nakchi'' in
McCune–Reischauer
McCune–Reischauer romanization ( ) is a romanization system for the Korean language. It was first published in 1939 by George M. McCune and Edwin O. Reischauer.
According to Reischauer, McCune "persuaded the American Army Map Service to ad ...
romanization).
Choking hazard
Consuming ''sannakji'' can be dangerous especially for diners who are intoxicated. Octopuses' limbs contain neurons, where the extremities continue to move and the suction cups along its tentacles maintain their gripping power that might attach to one's throat, even after getting detached from the body and doused with sesame oil, which presents a potentially fatal
choking hazard
''Choking Hazard'' is a 2004 Czech comedy-horror film by Marek Dobeš.
Plot
Production
''Chocking Hazard'' was reported to be in production during February 2004.
Reception
Eddie Cockrell of ''Variety'' wrote, "Marek Dobes keeps cheeky fu ...
.
Prevalence
''Sannakji'' is served in
Korean restaurants that serve sliced raw fish, but it also can be found at bars as a snack to accompany alcoholic beverages, such as
soju
Soju (English pronunciation: ; ) is a clear and colorless distilled alcoholic beverage from Korea, traditionally made from rice, but later from other grains and has a flavor similar to vodka. It is usually consumed neat. Its alcohol content ...
.
See also
* ''
Drunken shrimp
Drunken shrimp (), also known as drunken prawns, is a popular dish in parts of China based on freshwater shrimp
A shrimp (: shrimp (American English, US) or shrimps (British English, UK)) is a crustacean with an elongated body and a primar ...
'', shrimp sometimes eaten alive in
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine comprises cuisines originating from Greater China, China, as well as from Overseas Chinese, Chinese people from other parts of the world. Because of the Chinese diaspora and the historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine ...
* ''
Ikizukuri
, also known as , (roughly translated as "prepared alive") is the preparing of sashimi (raw fish) from live seafood. In this Japanese cuisine, Japanese culinary technique, the most popular sea animal used is fish (food), fish, but Octopus as food ...
'', the preparation of
sashimi
is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or Raw meat, meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce.
Origin
The word ''sashimi'' means 'pierced body', i.e., "wikt:刺身, 刺身" = ''sashimi'', whe ...
from living animals
* ''
Odori ebi
is a sushi delicacy of Japan, and a form of sashimi. The sushi contains baby shrimp that are still alive and able to move their legs and antennae while being eaten. The meal is prepared quickly to keep the shrimp alive, and when it is eaten t ...
'', shrimp eaten alive in
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese language, Japanese: ) is based on rice with m ...
, and ''
odorigui
''Odorigui'' ( 踊り食い, literally "dancing eating") is a mode of seafood consumption in Japanese cuisine.
''Odorigui'' refers to the consumption of live seafood while it is still moving, or the consumption of moving animal parts. Animals u ...
'', the general practice involving seafood
References
{{Seafood
Korean cuisine
Octopus dishes
Cruelty to animals
Dishes involving the consumption of live animals