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San-nakji

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San-nakji
TypeHoe
Place of originKorea
Associated cuisineKorean cuisine
Main ingredientsLong arm octopus
Korean name
Hangul
산낙지
RRsannakji
MRsannakchi
IPA[saːn.nak̚.t͈ɕi]
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Video of San-nakji

San-nakji (Korean: 산낙지) is a variety of hoe (raw dish) made with long arm octopus (Octopus minor), a small octopus species called nakji in Korean and is sometimes translated into "baby octopus" due to its relatively small size compared to the giant octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini).[1] The octopus is most commonly killed before being cut into small pieces and served, with the nerve activity in the octopus's tentacles making the pieces move posthumously on the plate while served.[2][3][4]

The octopus's highly complex nervous system, with two-thirds of its neurons localised in the nerve cords of its arms, lets the octopus show a variety of reflex actions that persist even when they have no input from the brain.[5][6] Less commonly, a live octopus is eaten whole.[7] The dish is sprinkled with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.[8] Animal rights activists, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have protested the dish as animal cruelty, arguing that octopuses feel pain, while proponents contend that the octopus is killed before being served and that the tentacles' movement is only residual nerve activity.[9]

Language difference

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Vocabularies in the two Koreas differ on nakji: South Koreans call Octopus minor, a small kind of octopus (often mistranslated as "baby octopus") nakji, while North Koreans call a squid nakji (nakchi in McCune–Reischauer romanization).

Safety

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Consuming sannakji can be dangerous especially for diners who are intoxicated. Octopuses' limbs contain neurons, where the extremities continue to move and the suction cups along its tentacles maintain their gripping power that might attach to one's throat, even after getting detached from the body and doused with sesame oil,[10] which presents a potentially fatal choking hazard.[11][12][13][14]

A 2018 forensic study of two choking deaths identified alcohol intoxication (blood alcohol concentration 0.140%) and pre-existing cardiovascular disease (cerebral infarction and angina pectoris) as contributing risk factors, with the octopus's suction cups found lodged in the epiglottis and laryngeal inlet.[15] In October 2023, an 82-year-old man in Gwangju choked to death after a piece of san-nakji became lodged in his throat, suffering cardiac arrest before first responders could revive him.[13]

A 2010 study of Octopuses from Korea's west coast found that heavy metals including cadmium, copper, and zinc accumulate primarily in the internal organs, with copper reaching mean concentrations of 354.8 mg/kg (dry weight) due to hemocyanin in octopus blood; however, the study concluded that consumption should have no adverse effects on humans based on FAO/WHO provisional tolerable weekly intake standards.[16]

Prevalence

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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.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "san-nakji" 산낙지. Standard Korean Language Dictionary (in Korean). National Institute of Korean Language. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  2. ^ Rosen, Daniel Edward (4 May 2010). "Korean restaurant's live Octopus dish has animal rights activists squirming". New York Daily News. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  3. ^ Han, Jane (14 May 2010). "Clash of culture? Sannakji angers US animal activists". The Korea Times. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  4. ^ Compton, Natalie B. (17 June 2016). "Eating a Live Octopus Wasn't Nearly as Difficult As It Sounds". Munchies. VICE. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  5. ^ Hochner, B. (2012). "An Embodied View of Octopus Neurobiology". Current Biology. 22 (20): R887–R892. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.09.001. PMID 23098601.
  6. ^ Yekutieli, Y.; Sagiv-Zohar, R.; Aharonov, R.; Engel, Y.; Hochner, B.; Flash, T. (2005). "Dynamic model of the octopus arm. I. Biomechanics of the octopus reaching movement". J. Neurophysiol. 94 (2): 1443–58. doi:10.1152/jn.00684.2004. PMID 15829594.
  7. ^ "Eating Live Octopus". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 2014-04-25. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
  8. ^ Warwick, Joe (30 January 2015). "The truth about Noma's live prawn dish". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Clash of culture? Sannakji angers US animal activists - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  10. ^ "The Most Dangerous Foods in the World". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  11. ^ Yonhap News Agency 2008-01-21 광주서 산낙지 먹다 기도막힌 사고 잇따라
  12. ^ Dodgson, Lindsay (2019-05-11). "Here's why eating a live octopus can be deadly". Insider.
  13. ^ a b "82-year-old man in South Korea chokes to death after eating live octopus". The Straits Times. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Eight controversial foods from around the world". The Times of India.
  15. ^ Lee, Seok Joo; Choi, Minsung; Ha, Hongil (2018). "Accidental Choking Deaths with Octopus minor and Octopus ocellatus". Korean Journal of Legal Medicine (in Korean). 42 (4): 168. doi:10.7580/kjlm.2018.42.4.168. ISSN 2383-5702.
  16. ^ Lee, Hyo-Jin; Kim, Gi-Beum (2010-06-30). "Concentration of Heavy Metals in Octopus minor in Seosan, Chungnam and Food Safety Assessment". Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 43 (3): 270–276. doi:10.5657/kfas.2010.43.3.270. ISSN 0374-8111.
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