CUISINE
Asian Clam Soup
Jaecheopguk Koo Chun-sur Director, World Food Research Institute
ince time immemorial clams have been an important food source, since they could be gathered and consumed during winter months when hunting was difficult. Consequently, large communities developed nearby rivers where clams were abundant, as evidenced by the excavation of large numbers of "shell mounds" where these early people of long ago discarded the shells of clams and other shellfish. An especially large number of shell mounds have been excavated in areas along the south coast of Korea and around Edo (today's Tokyo), the ancient capital of Japan. Before the development of modern
S
roads, Hadong was the southernmost city accessible by overland route from Seoul, the nation's capital. Hadong is located at the midpoint of Korea's south coast, alongside which the pristine Seomjingang River flows toward the South Sea. In the past, lush bamboo groves ¡lined the Seomjingang, which is suitable for boat travel. Watching boats glide effortlessly along the river, one might wonder if this was a scene of the blissful paradise ¡that Koreans dreamed of in the past. From its source at Mt. Jirisan, the tallest mountain in the southern region of the Korean peninsula, the Seomjingang flows past bucolic farmlands that have managed to escape
Residents of areas where jaecheop are gathered believe that eating the clams is good for a pick-me-up or to relieve a hangover. With this notion being passed down from one generation to another, foods made with jaecheop are now a thriving business in these areas.
Amealof jaecheopguk and raw jaecheop