San-nakji

See also: Eating live seafood

San-nakji
Korean name
Hangul	산낙지
Revised Romanization	sannakji
McCune–Reischauer	sannakchi

Sannakji or sannakji hoe is a variety of hoe, or raw dish, in Korean cuisine. It consists of live nakji (hangul: 낙지, a small octopus) that has been cut into small pieces and served immediately, usually lightly seasoned with sesame and sesame oil. The nakji pieces are usually still squirming on the plate. It can also be served whole.

Eating

Because the suction cups on the arm pieces are still active when the dish is served, special care should be taken when eating sannakji. The active suction cups can cause swallowed pieces of arm to stick to the mouth or throat. This can also present a choking hazard for some people, particularly if they are intoxicated.

Language difference

Vocabularies in the two Koreas differ on nakji: South Koreans call a small kind of octopus nakji, while North Koreans call a squid nakji (nakchi in McCune-Reischauer Romanization).

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.

Danger

Several incidents of choking on Sannakji have been reported. One of the latest incidents occurred in Gwangju.

See also

• Odori ebi, shrimp eaten alive in Japanese cuisine
• Drunken shrimp, shrimp eaten alive in Chinese cuisine
• Ikizukuri, the preparation of sashimi from living animals

External links

• An English Teacher in Korea's Sannakji Experience 2007/07 blogspot.com