Sokcho squid sundae fried in egg, with abai sundae · Photo: 태오 윤 / CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
KoreaGangwon · SokchoSokcho's Abai Sundae and Squid Sundae: How War Refugees From Hamgyeong Kept Their Hometown Flavors
Abai Village in Sokcho's Cheongho-dong was built on a sandbar by refugees from Hamgyeong Province during the Korean War. Here is how its abai sundae and squid sundae came to be, how to eat them and how to reach the village by the hand-pulled gaetbae ferry.
A Refugee Village on a Sandbar
Cheongho-dong in Sokcho sits on a long sandbar between the sea and Cheongcho Lake. Around the January 1951 retreat of the Korean War, people from Hamgyeong Province in the north came down by boat and settled here; accounts describe the village as starting when Hamgyeong natives who moved south with the South Korean army formed a settlement in 1951. Marine folklorist Joo Kang-hyun wrote that some 50,000 refugees poured into Sokcho after the war, and about 70% of them came from South Hamgyeong; within the village, groups were known by their home towns, such as Dancheon and Sinpo. "Abai" is Hamgyeong dialect for father, or for a friendly older man of grandfather age; sources word it slightly differently. With this influx of refugees, Sokcho is said to have grown into a fishing city on the east coast.
Abai Sundae: Hamgyeong-Style Big Sausage
Abai sundae is the sausage the refugees made the way they did back home, and its defining feature is said to be the casing: thick pork large intestine rather than the thin small intestine used elsewhere. It is packed generously with glutinous rice, blood and vegetables such as mung bean sprouts and then steamed, so each slice is thick and chewy and quite different from the glass-noodle sundae sold at snack stalls. The alleys of Abai Village are lined with restaurants serving Hamgyeong food, and next to abai sundae you will often see signs for gajami-sikhae and Hamheung naengmyeon. Gajami-sikhae is fermented flounder mixed with grain, radish and chili; an elder interviewed by Joo Kang-hyun said that here they make it with white rice instead of millet. It often comes as a side with sundae, so try them together.
Where Squid Sundae Came From
Today Sokcho is even better known for squid sundae (ojingeo sundae): a squid body with the innards removed, stuffed with a mix of glutinous rice, tofu, vegetables and minced meat, then steamed. It suits a port where squid were once landed in huge numbers. Accounts of its origin differ. One describes it as the Cheongho-dong refugees' reinterpretation of their hometown sundae, made with squid, the seaside's most common catch. Another says it began with fishermen in lean seasons who filled squid with wild greens and fermented bean paste. Either way it was born where coastal ingredients met Hamgyeong sausage culture, and many places in Sokcho serve abai sundae and squid sundae together on one platter.
How to Eat It and What to Order
Squid sundae can be eaten as plain round slices, but in Sokcho the best-known way is to dip the slices in beaten egg and pan-fry them until golden. The outside turns savory while the rice inside stays chewy, and it goes well with vinegar soy sauce, salted shrimp or a seasoned dipping sauce. Abai sundae is usually steamed and sliced as is, and it also comes as sundae soup. On a first visit, a mixed platter of both lets you compare them. Portions are generous, so for two people one platter plus a bowl of naengmyeon or sundae soup is usually enough. Many visitors take some home; reheat it by coating in egg and frying again and it comes close to the restaurant version. Fillings and seasoning vary from place to place, which makes comparing a few spots part of the fun.
Where to Eat: Take the Gaetbae to Abai Village
The largest cluster of sundae restaurants is in the alleys of Abai Village in Cheongho-dong, and squid sundae is also easy to find around the tourist fish market in central Sokcho. When you go to Abai Village, try crossing on the gaetbae from the downtown side. It is a flat ferry that people move by hooking and pulling a rope strung across a narrow channel, and it was the old lifeline of a village that felt like an island. A bridge now exists, but the gaetbae still runs for a small fare. The village started drawing attention in the 1990s and became a tourist spot after the 2000 TV drama Autumn in My Heart was filmed here. Most first-generation refugees have passed away, yet the village remains a place that holds the memory of division. Knowing why this neighborhood exists makes that plate of sundae taste a little different.