Makchang sundae · Photo: lazy fri13th / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
KoreaNorth Gyeongsang · YecheonYecheon's Yonggung Sundae: Makchang Sausage From a Cattle-Market Town
In Yonggung-myeon, Yecheon, sundae restaurants line the street in front of a tiny rural station, known as Yonggung Sundae Street. Here is how it grew out of a cattle market, what makes sundae made with thick makchang casing different, the spicy grilled squid people order with it, and the village that shares its name with the Dragon Palace of a classic folktale.
A Country Township Called Dragon Palace
Yonggung-myeon in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, is a country township with an eye-catching name: Yonggung means Dragon Palace. It is said to come from two pools nearby, Yongdamso and Yongduso, likened to an underwater dragon palace by people who hoped to make the place a paradise on earth. The Dragon Palace is also where the turtle takes the rabbit in the classic pansori tale Tokki-jeon (The Story of the Rabbit), and Yecheon County makes good use of that coincidence in its tourism promotion. What put this small township on the national map, surprisingly, was sundae (Korean blood sausage). About ten traditional sundae restaurants are clustered along the roughly 800 meters between Yonggung Station on the Gyeongbuk Line and the bus stop, forming Yonggung Sundae Street. On weekends it fills with people who drive out just for the sundae.
Born at the Cattle Market
According to local press, Yonggung's sundae restaurants began appearing around Yonggung Market some 60 years ago. Back then the market was known for its cattle trading, and on market days people poured in from dawn to buy and sell cows. As they looked for something cheap and quick to fill up on, sundae shops opened one after another. Locals are said to have long loved sundae, serving it at big occasions such as feasts and funerals. The cattle-market days are gone, but the sundae shops stayed and became the township's specialty, drawing new visitors as nearby sights like Hoeryongpo, a village wrapped in a river bend, became known. After the provincial government moved to a new town on the Yecheon-Andong border, business picked up further and the street came back to life.
Sundae in Thick Makchang Casing
The defining feature of Yonggung sundae is its casing. Instead of the usual thin small intestine or large intestine, it uses pork makchang (the final section of the intestine), one of the pricier cuts of pork offal, with a thick skin that gives a plump, chewy bite. Cooks take care to remove its distinctive smell, washing it in rice-rinsing water for over an hour. The filling combines glutinous rice and glass noodles with about ten vegetables such as green onion, garlic chives, tofu, onion, perilla leaves and carrot, plus medicinal herbs, and is said to taste clean rather than greasy. Every shop has its own recipe, and some offer kimchi sundae with kimchi in the filling. Yecheon County held its first Yonggung Sundae Festival in 2012 and registered "Yonggung Sundae" as a trademark the following year to protect the local name.
Order It With Spicy Grilled Squid
Few customers on Yonggung Sundae Street eat only sundae. The standard partner is ojingeo bulgogi, squid brushed with a spicy sauce and grilled over a charcoal briquette fire for a smoky flavor. Alternating mild sundae with fiery grilled squid is the street's signature combination. Sundae gukbap, sundae served in a hot soup with rice, is also popular, and some places offer gopchang (grilled intestines) as well. Sliced sundae is dipped in the salt or sauce the restaurant provides. Portions are generous, so two or three people sharing one plate each of sundae and squid is a comfortable order.
Yonggung Station, Rabbit-Liver Bread and Hoeryongpo
Yonggung Station at the entrance to the sundae street is a tiny rural stop that has found new popularity with travelers thanks to decorations themed on the rabbit tale. Inspired by the story, in which the Dragon King's illness can only be cured by a rabbit's liver, Yecheon has created treats such as tokki-gan-ppang, "rabbit liver bread," to promote the Yonggung name. Trying one for dessert after your sundae is part of the fun. The sundae street pairs well with nearby Hoeryongpo, where the Naeseongcheon stream loops almost completely around a village so it looks like an island on land; the view from the observatory is famous. Public transport around Yecheon is infrequent, so check train and bus times in advance, and since popular shops can have waits at weekend lunchtime, going a little early is wise.