At 8:55 p.m. on Saturday, January 11, the ‘Extreme Job’ episode of ‘Extreme Job’: Protect Jeju’s winter delicacies – tilefish, pheasant taffy, tangerine strings and glutinous rice cakes will be broadcast.
Jeju’s precious fish, tilefish called “Jade of the Sea”
Since ancient times, tilefish has been considered the most precious fish in Jeju. Jeju people say that the moderately light and savory taste is better than gulbi! There are people who work diligently from dawn to catch ‘tilefish,’ a rare fish that mainly lives in the coastal waters of Jeju. Early in the morning, a silent war begins on the sea as people compete for positions to catch tilefish. Tilefish, which live in depths of 50 to 200 m, are caught using longline fishing, and they can only be caught one at a time with a hook attached to a long bridle line, making them even more valuable as the fishing volume is not large. In one longline fishing gear, there are as many as 151 fishing hooks loaded with bait, and it is said that the task of threading bait onto the hooks from the day before is no easy feat. Lowering and raising a fishing hook in strong sea winds and waves is a very dangerous task! It is common for fishing hooks to get caught in clothes, tear them, or cause cuts to the skin.
Meanwhile, there are people who have been drying and processing tilefish in the traditional way for three generations. They say the whole family comes out to clean tilefish from dawn until late at night. The two sons work on removing the scales, and the mother prepares the intestines of the fish. All processes are important, but special care must be taken when removing the intestines, as the fishing hook in the tilefish’s stomach may cause injury. Additionally, the technique of cutting a tilefish in half exactly from tail to head is an important task that determines the marketability of tilefish. We follow the people who are busy day and night to protect the precious tilefish.
Pheasant taffy, a winter health food from the mid-mountainous region of Jeju
It is said that in the old days, food was not plentiful in the mid-mountainous regions of Jeju because the sea was far away. During the cold winter, I would look for various ingredients to supplement my nutrients. Pheasant from mountainous regions that could be used as a substitute for meat. In one village, the tradition is still being carried on. People who make pheasant taffy with boiled pheasant meat for three days straight! To preserve the taste of the pheasant taffy that my mother made when I was young, the village women’s association continues the traditional method to this day. Making pheasant taffy is not something that takes a long time and is difficult. First, boil the pheasant meat, then rub the flesh with your hands, and add glutinous rice to the broth in which the pheasant meat was boiled and cook it. Then, the boiled rice is cooled, mixed with malt, fermented for 4 to 5 hours, and filtered through a strainer to make sikhye. If you boil sikhye and stir continuously for 7 hours, it becomes thick and dark in color like grain syrup. At this time, add lean pheasant meat and stir until the taffy permeates. Unlike regular taffy, pheasant taffy is characterized by being eaten in its syrup form! Let’s meet the people who make pheasant taffy, Jeju’s special health food.
Tangerine fruit and glutinous rice cake made with tangerines grown in Jeju winter!
The most famous thing in Jeju is definitely tangerines! In particular, Jeju tangerines grown in winter are grown in the sea breeze and have a high sugar content. It is said that there are people who make tangerine chips by drying tangerines grown directly without pesticides, and by making dough with carrots from Jeju to make tangerine chips, a traditional Korean snack from Jeju Island. It’s a dangerous work environment where if you’re not paying attention, your hands could get sucked into the dough machine or get burned by hot oil! Even in this situation, we meet the struggle to make 2,000 gwajul per day.
Meanwhile, there are people who are busy making glutinous rice dough and peeling thousands of tangerines from early in the morning. This is to make citrus glutinous rice cake, which is popular these days. It is said that because they make thousands of tangerine glutinous rice cakes a day, no part of their body, including their shoulders and legs, is healthy. But they say that having people looking for you makes you forget about your hardships!
We follow the people working tirelessly to create Jeju’s winter delicacies.
Economy Queen Reporter Park Yu-mi Photo EBS Extreme Job
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