Gopchang can refer to the small intestines of cattle or to a gui made of the small intestines. The latter is also called gopchang-gui. The tube-shaped offal is chewy with richelastic fibers. In Korean cuisine, it is stewed in a hot pot, grilled over a barbecue, boiled in soup with other intestines, or made into a sausage. In the past, gopchang was a popular, nutritious, and cheap dish for the general public. Rich in iron and vitamins, it was served as a health supplement for improving a weak constitution, recovering patients, and postpartum depression. Today, gopchang is also regarded as a delicacy and is more expensive than the regular meat of the same weight. It is a popular anju, as it helps break down alcohol. Gopchang is an exotic food for foreigners. but It is also one of the most popular foods to try in Korea.
Preparation
The intestines are cleaned thoroughly, rubbed with wheat flour and coarse salt, and rinsed several times. The fat is trimmed off, and the cleaned gopchang is soaked in water to remove any traces of blood. Garlic, ginger, onion, cooking wine, black pepper, and Korean pepper are common marinating ingredients, mainly used for eliminating any unpleasant odors and tenderizing the meat of gopchang. Ingredients for gopchang-gui marinade are juiced, rather than minced, so that they don't burn during the grilling process. Common ingredients include soy sauce, gochutgaru, mullyeot, cheongju, onion juice, apple juice, garlic juice, scallion juice, and ginger juice. The gopchang is first marinated in the seasonings and spices, then grilled on a lightly greased pan or griddle. Onions and bell peppers are often grilled together with gopchang. Grilled gopchang is often served dipped in salt and sesame oil. After that, usually Bokkumbab is cooked with Gopchang oil.
Gopchang of pork big intestines is usually called dwaeji-gopchang. In Korean cuisine, food similar to gopchang prepared with beef blanket tripe is called yang-gopchang, while the one prepared with beef reed tripe is called makchang, and the one with beef big intestines is called daechang. Internationally, gopchang could be compared to chitterlings or Latin Americanchunchullo. The Spanish/Portuguese term tripas or the English tripe also occasionally referred to as small beef's intestines, attesting to the practice of consuming animal intestines as a truly worldwide phenomenon. Some foods have tripe in their dishes, such as stir-fried tripe and gopchang jeongol.
