Pollock roe

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

Names

The purely Korean name for pollock, myeongtae had been assigned the Chinese character form 明太, which can be read as mentai in Japanese. But while the Japanese borrowed this name from Korean and called it mentaiko,^[1] the term does not retain the originally meaning of plain raw roe, but specifically refers the chili pepper-added cured roe, while salt-cured only types are called tarako.^[1][2][3]

Korean

As aforementioned, Alaska pollock in Korean is myeongtae (명태,明太), hence pollock roe is myeongnan (명란,明卵), a contracted form of the compound with +ran or +nan (란,卵) meaning "egg (roe)".

The salted roe dish is called myeongnan-jeot (명란젓), being considered a type of jeot (젓) or jeotgal, which is a category of salted seafood.

Japanese

In Japanese, (salted) pollock roe is called tarako (鱈子),^[2][3] though it literally means 'cod roe',^[a] while true cod roe is distinguished by calling it hontarako.^[4][5] The pollock roe, also known as momijiko, are usually salted and dyed red.^[4][5][b]

Pollock roe cured with red chili pepper are 明太子 (mentaiko);^[5][2] to put it another way, mentaiko refers to chili-laced versions of tarako, generally speaking,^[1] even if not qualified as karashi-mentaiko with the prefix meaning 'chili'.^[c]

Russian

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

History

Korea

Koreans have been enjoying pollock roe since the Joseon 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 pollock roe instead of cod roe."^[6] Recipe for salted pollock roe is found in a 19th-century cookbook, Siuijeonseo.

Japan

A 1696 Japanese book records the use of Alaska pollock's roe in Northern land.^[7]

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.^{[8] [9]}

Consumption

Myeongnan-jeot

Alternative names	Myeongnan Myeongnan-jeot Tarako Mentaiko Ikra mintaya
Type	Jeotgal
Course	Banchan
Place of origin	Korea
Associated cuisine	Korean cuisine Japanese cuisine Russian cuisine
Main ingredients	Roe of Alaska pollock
Media: Myeongnan-jeot

Salted Alaska pollock roe
Korean name
Hangul	명란젓
Hanja	明卵-
Literal meaning	Alaska pollock roe jeotgal
Transcriptions Revised Romanization myeongnan-jeot McCune–Reischauer myŏngnan-chŏt
Japanese name
Kanji	鱈子／（辛子）明太子
Kana	たらこ／（からし）めんたいこ
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn tarako / (karashi-)mentaiko
Russian name
Russian	икра минтая
Romanization	ikra mintaya

Korea

Traditionally, myeongnan-jeot was made before dongji (winter solstice). Intact skeins of Alaska pollock roe are washed carefully with salt water, then salted in a sokuri (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 (chilli powder) and finely minced garlic. myeongnan-jeot is usually served with sesame seeds or some drops of sesame oil.

Myeongnan-jeot, whether raw, dried, and/or cooked, is a common banchan (side dish) and anju (food served with alcoholic beverages). It is also used in a variety of dishes, such as gyeran-jjim (steamed egg), bokkeum-bap (fried rice), and recently in Korean-style Italian pasta dishes.

Myeongnan-jeot is a specialty of South Hamgyong Province of North Korea, and Gangwon Province and Busan of South Korea.

• 
  Myeongnan-jeot

  sold in a market
• 
  Vacuum-packed myeongnan-jeot
• 
  Heavily seasoned myeongnan-jeot
• 
  Myeongnan-jeot-

  muchim

  (salted pollock roe salad)
• 
  Myeongnan-jeot-gyeran-mari (rolled omelette with salted pollock roe)
• 
  Myeongnnan-jeot in jjigae (stew)
• 
  Myeongnan-jeot pizza

Japan

Mentaiko, adapted from Korean myeongnan-jeot,

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 (海苔) and Shiso leaves are often sprinkled on top.

Mentaiko was nominated as Japan's number one side dish in the Japanese weekly magazine, Shūkan Bunshun.^[15]

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

• 
  Tarako
• 
  Mentaiko
• 
  Baked mentaiko
• 
  Mentaiko-chazuke
• 
  Mentaiko spaghetti
• 
  Tarako spaghetti

Russia

In

As mentioned above, in Russian, the word for pollock roe is the same as for the caviar: "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 first e.g. to apply butter to the bread before adding the canned pollock roe. This will smoothen the excessive saltiness of the canned roe.

• 
  An open sandwich with canned roe
• 
  A piece of similar bread with less roe used since Ikra mintaya (canned roe) is rather salty.

See also

• Alaska pollock as food
• Jeotgal
• Masago
• Tobiko

Explanatory notes

References

• Media related to Pollock roe at Wikimedia Commons