''Sungeo-guk'' () is a variety of ''

guk ''Guk'' (), also sometimes known as ''tang'' (), is a class of soup-like dishes in Korean cuisine. ''Guk'' and ''tang'' are commonly grouped together and regarded as the same type of dish, although ''tang'' can sometimes be less watery than ' ...

'', or

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 ...

soup, made with

flathead grey mullet The flathead grey mullet (''Mugil cephalus'') is an important food fish species in the mullet family Mugilidae. It is found in coastal temperate, tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Its length is typically . It is known with numerous En ...

and

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

. It has a clear broth seasoned with salt, 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 ...

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

juice, and chopped

scallion Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...

s. During ancient times, the flathead grey mullet caught in

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

, Chungsan, Anju,

Kangso Kangsŏ is a ward in Namp'o Special City, South P'yŏngan province, North Korea. The population is 191,356. Administrative divisions Kangsŏ-guyŏk is divided into 14 ''tong'' (neighbourhoods) and 6 ''ri'' (villages): Transport Kangsŏ-guy� ...

Ryonggang Ryonggang County is a county in South P'yŏngan province, North Korea. It is administered as a part of Namp'o Special City. It is famous for its local apples. Administrative divisions Ryonggang-gun is divided into one town (ŭp) and 10 villa ...

Chongju Chŏngju (; also Jŏngju) is a '' si'', or city, in southern North P'yŏngan Province, North Korea. Prior to 1994, it was designated as a ''kun'' or county. The terrain is mostly level, but mountainous in the north. To the south lies the Chong ...

, Kasan,

Sunchon Sunch'ŏn () is a city in South Pyongan province, North Korea. It has a population of 297,317, and is home to various manufacturing plants. The city is on the Taedong River. History In 1413, the name of the city became Sunchon, due to a rena ...

Cholsan Ch'ŏlsan is a ''kun'', or county, in North P'yŏngan province, North Korea. It occupies the Ch'ŏlsan Peninsula, which juts into the Yellow Sea. Ch'ŏlsan borders Yŏmju and Tongrim counties to the north, and is bounded on all other sides by ...

and

Uiju Ŭiju is a kun, or county, in North Pyongan Province, North Korea. The county has an area of 420 km2, and a population of 110,018 (2008 data). Name Ŭiju appears as Uiju in South Korea's Revised Romanization and as Yizhou in Chinese source ...

, which are now in North Korea, were famous for their flavor. Those from the

Taedong River The Taedong River () is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening the Soviet ...

, where flathead grey mullet are abundant, were especially renowned. The soup dish is a representative dish in the cuisine of North Korean capital

, where the soup is called ''Taedonggang sungeoguk,'' which means "flathead grey mullet soup from the Taedong River". The dish is served as a courtesy for important guests visiting Pyongyang and the question, "How was the flathead grey mullet soup?" is commonly used to greet people returning from Pyongyang.

Role in Korean cuisine

Flathead grey mullet is mentioned in 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

ichthyology Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ...

book ''Jasaneobo'' () as a fish of exceptional taste and nutritional value. Flathead grey mullet is used in various dishes: grilled, steamed, 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' ...

'', with noodles, as '' jeon'' and '' hoe''. Flathead grey mullet dishes such as ''sungeojjim'' (steamed flathead grey mullet) are served for special occasions. The taste of flathead grey mullet is slightly different from season to season. Flathead grey mullet caught in spring and winter has a sweet taste, summer flathead grey mullet is tasteless, and autumn flathead grey mullet tastes fatty and savory.

Preparation

The scales, head, internal organs, and fins of a mullet are removed. Once the fish is cleaned, it is chopped into 5 cm pieces. Fillets and peppercorns are put into a pot with boiling water and the foam is skimmed from the broth. As the mullet is cooked, it is seasoned with salt, minced garlic and ginger juice. The soup is served in a bowl garnished with chopped scallions or sometimes with

cilantro Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae. Most people perceive the leaves as ha ...

References

{{Reflist Korean soups and stews North Korean cuisine Korean fish dishes