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Chuotang: Korean Loach Soup and Why Koreans Love It
There have been a few times in Korea when I was glad I wasn’t told what I was eating until after I’d finished. Chuotang (추어탕) was one of those times. Usually the issue with Korean food is just the translation. Who wants to hear they’re eating a cow’s third stomach? The translations are never as appetizing as the dishes themselves. With chuotang, it’s not even the translation. It’s just the name of the fish. Called mud fish stew or loach fish soup in English, chuotang looks like mud and arrives at the table that same muddy brown color. And yet it’s one of my favorite Korean soups. It’s rich, savory,…