Festivus Gastronomicus
Korea: Mouthwatering Makchang
In Korea, as is true in many countries, particular drinks, dishes, and fruits and vegetables are often associated with cities or regions where they are best made or grown.
For Yeong-deok it’s snow crab and peaches, in Andong it’s traditional soju, for Seoul, well, Seoul is known, perhaps for cheeseburgers more than anything of traditional or agricultural significance.
My “2nd-home”-town of Daegu is known for its apples, and its makchang.
On my first year-long stay in Daegu, when the nights were hazier and more often spent outside around round plastic tables than at home in the apartment, I was introduced to several inexpensive meat-dishes one can enjoy over nights-on-the-town.
Makchang is perhaps the least expensive of these: (thoroughly washed) large intestines of pig cooked over a charcoal grill in the center of the table, usually served with daenjang (bean paste) and lettuce.
The most important side, however, is the soju. I never have, and likely never will, dare to try eating makchang without having already had some alcohol and without a continuous flow of soju bottles arriving at the table. This is not to say that makchang is in any way not tasty, on the contrary it is quite yummy, not savory, perhaps, but quite yummy…WITH SOJU.
Yes, it is true that I have never tried makchang without soju. And I probably never will, because of the possibility that it may just be ruined for me if I eat it while sober.
Makchang is grilled, as so many Korean meat-dishes delightedly are, by oneself at the table. The trick of it is to get the pieces of swine innards to the point where they are just slightly more crunchy than chewy. The resultant textural mix of crunchy/chewiness somehow amplifies whatever it is that is good about the meat, in this case.
One certainly would not want it undercooked and overcooked (as they often end up after several bottles of soju) means a loss of taste and crackle instead of crunch.