Experience | Recommended Tour

Let’s make eomuk (fish cake) in Busan, a mecca of fish cakes!

Let’s make eomuk in Busan, a mecca of fish cakes!

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It is no wonder that Busan eomuk (fish cake) is famous, but only a few know why it has become Busan’s iconic food. Its popularity is closely associated with the modern history of Busan. Fish cake originated from oden in Japan, which has been a popular food since the Edo period. Located near Japan, Busan served as a primary gateway to the Japanese food culture during the period of Japanese occupation. Above all, fish, a major ingredient of fish cake, was abundant in this maritime city.

Aside from its origin, let us talk about the process of making eomuk.
It is reasonable to say that the history of Korean-style fish cakes is the same as that of Busan fish cakes. Various fish cake factories are situated in Busan, most of which operate their own experience programs. Let’s choose one of them and make fish cakes in person.

In general, the fish cake experience center requires a reservation by phone or through its website. Before the experience, carefully check and understand the process of making fish cakes through the relevant leaflet. Then, you should first wash your hands thoroughly and wear an apron and a sanitary cap before the class. When you’re ready, the teacher tells you the precautions and other reminders regarding the process. You can notice all participating students eagerly paying attention to every word and action of their teacher.

First, you should beat a paste as the teacher demonstrates. Second, flatten it using a chopper knife. The children look happy, but their facial expressions are quite funnylooking quite serious and giggling playfully at times.
The next is cutting the paste into different shapes using molds. Children carefully shape the paste. Lastly, they garnish their delicious-looking fish cakes.

Another experience program is making fish cake pizza that children like the most. Spread the sauce sufficiently on a round fish cake paste like pizza dough, and add toppings such as pepperoni and cheese. Thanks to the previous experience, the children seem to follow the process more easily. They even smile as they think of the deliciously baked pizza they will eat soon.

The last step is baking the finished fish paste in the oven. The young cooks look excited while waiting in front of the oven. When they watch the video of their cooking practice, they even look mature as they focus on every scene and check whether they followed the steps correctly, expecting that their pastes will successfully turn into fish cakes.

The children look happy, joyful, and proud of themselves when receiving their own pizza. They were not familiar with the process at first, but they faithfully followed the teacher’s instructions. Now knowing the process of making fish cakes, you will become more familiar with Busan fish cakes.
Aside from the experience program, there is a shop where you can buy various types of fish cakes. Instead, you can buy various kinds of fish cakes on the first floor of the experience center. It is a bakery-style space for selling fish cakes where you can put some fish cakes on a tray, and the employee will wrap them neatly. You will surely be astonished at unbelievably different types of fish cakes.