Dotori-muk
 | |
| Alternative names | Acorn jelly |
|---|---|
| Type | Muk |
| Place of origin | Korea |
| Main ingredients | Acorn |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 도토리묵 |
| RR | dotorimuk |
| MR | tot'orimuk |
| IPA | to.tʰo.ɾi.muk̚ |
Dotori-muk[1] (Korean: 도토리묵; pronounced [to.tʰo.ɾi.muk̚]) or acorn jelly[1] is a Korean jelly (묵 muk)[a] dish made from acorn starch, which has a high degree of gelatinization.[3] This muk originated in ancient times, when oak trees in mountains across Korea produced acorns each autumn abundant enough as a viable source of food. Dotori-muk does not spoil easily, its long shelf life advantageous as a food suitable for long travels.[4]
Production
[edit]
Despite being a rich source of starch and proteins, acorns contain large amounts of tannins and other polyphenols, which prevent the human body from digesting them properly. Harvested acorns must be properly leached of the tannins prior to consumption.[5]
Acorns are either collected directly from the ground or knocked off the tree branches. The acorns are opened and the nutmeat ground into a fine orange-brown paste. The paste is then stirred into vats of water and the acorns' fiber is separated from the starch through sieving and settling.[6] The starch-water mixture is collected and allowed to sit so that the tannins in the starch diffuse into the water, which is changed several times. The overall soaking time depends on the amount of tannin in the paste.
The now-tannin-free starch-water suspension should have an off-white colour. This starch is allowed to completely settle at the bottom of the vat, the water drained away and the paste collected in trays to dry. The dried starch cake is then pulverized and packaged for sale. Dotori-muk is also commercially available in powdered form, which must be mixed with water, boiled until pudding-like in consistency, then set in a flat dish.
Serving
[edit]
Like other muk, dotori-muk is most commonly eaten in the form of dotori-muk-muchim (도토리묵무침), a side dish in which small chunks of dotori-muk are seasoned and mixed with other ingredients such as slivered carrots and scallions, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, red chili powder, and sesame seeds.
Muk-mari (묵말이) is also famous. In the Gujeuk neighbourhood of Daejeon, a "muk alley" took shape around the popular muk restaurant 'Grandma's House' (할머니집) founded in the late 1960s. At Expo '93 in Daejeon, Gujeuk dotori-muk was designated a representative local food and became nationally known. Muk cooking made by a woman started attracting people's attention. In particular, Muk-mari is made of salted seaweed (chopped seaweed powder) with its rich texture and is made of dried acorn.[citation needed]
History
[edit]During the first of the Japanese invasions of Joseon, King Seonjo took refuge in the north. Food shortages due to the invasion made it difficult for the villagers to find something to serve the king and his entourage, so they hurriedly made them dotori-muk. Later, even after returning to the palace, King Seonjo often ate dotori-muk as a sign that he would not forget the hardships of the war.[4]
See also
[edit]- Nokdumuk – made from mung beans
- Hwangpomuk – a yellow-colored jelly made from mung beans
- Memilmuk – made from buckwheat
- Konjac – a Japanese jelly
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 (in Korean) 주요 한식명(200개) 로마자 표기 및 번역(영, 중, 일) 표준안 [Standardized Romanizations and Translations (English, Chinese, and Japanese) of (200) Major Korean Dishes] (PDF). National Institute of Korean Language. 2014-07-30. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
- 주요 한식명 로마자 표기 및 표준 번역 확정안 공지 (Press release) (in Korean). National Institute of Korean Language. 2014-05-02.
- ↑ "묵". Standard Korean Language Dictionary. National Institute of Korean Language.
- ↑ Taib, Mehdi; Bouyazza, Lahboub (June 2021). "Composition, Physicochemical Properties, and Uses of Acorn Starch". Journal of Chemistry. 2021: 3–4. doi:10.1155/2021/9988570.
- 1 2 도토리묵. N-Encyclopedia (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved Apr 17, 2021.
- ↑ Bainbridge, D. A. (November 12–14, 1986). Use of Acorns for Food in California: Past, Present, Future. Proceedings of the Symposium on Multiple-use Management of California's Hardwoods. San Luis Obispo, CA: Dry Lands Research Institute, University of California. pp. 453–458. Archived from the original on 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ Pemberton, Robert W.; Lee, Nam Sook (1996), "Wild food plants in South Korea; market presence, new crops, and exports to the United States", Journal of Economic Botany, 50 (1), New York: Springer: 57–70, Bibcode:1996EcBot..50...57P, doi:10.1007/BF02862113, S2CID 38859399
External links
[edit]
- Muk page
- "Dotorimuk muchim recipe". VisitKorea. Korea Tourism Organization. Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
- Seasoned Acorn Jelly (Dotori Muk Muchim) recipe
- Blog showing cleaned acorn starch being dried
- Grocery Ninja: Eating Acorn Jelly the Unorthodox Way