Looks Korean to me (seasoned pollock roe, I sometimes get it at H-Mart and regret it because it’s kinda bitter), but I bet they eat it in Japan too.
spammusub11
Yep, that’s mentaiko I think
SincerelySpicy
While the origins of salted pollock roe are a bit murky, variations have been made and eaten in both Japan and Korea for centuries.
However, given style of salting and preservation of the modern version, and the long history of the production of [jeotgal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeotgal) in Korea, if variations didn’t arise independently in both countries, it probably originated in Korea.
The version with chilies, mentaiko, does absolutely originate in Korea and the name reflects that. Mentai 明太 in Mentaiko 明太子 is the Japanese reading of Myeongtae 명태 / 明太, the Korean word for Alaskan Pollock.
However, Japanese production Mentaiko has been altered for Japanese tastes, and it has long become a very common ingredient in Japanese food.
like others have said, it’s mentaiko and it’s served in japan and korea, but i think this picture is japanese since the chopsticks are made of wood.
Slashredd1t
Make sure it’s the spicy kind 😍😍😍😍
berusplants
mentaiko pasta with butter and shiso leaves 💚
drunk-tusker
As someone else explained this is a dish that is shared by Japanese and Korean cuisine and is definitely eaten in Japan. It probably originated in Korea but the dishes have enough drift they can be considered vaguely different.
The only real question is whether it’s tarako(pollock roe), mentaiko(pollock roe but spicy) or myeongnan(pollock roe but Korean) because it’s virtually impossible to tell them apart from a photo like this.
AcornWholio
It’s as Japanese as any salted fish roe product can be. Certain foods like pickles, grilled meats and basic soups occur independently in many cultures. This specifically appears to be the Japanese mentaiko which is a real dish in Japan. So if this is mentaiko, yes, it’s Japanese. If you’re asking about salted roe then it’s yes and no. Either way, I’m happy to call those Japanese cuisine.
Kevin_Hairdryer
It looks like a wet hot cheeto lol
HumberGrumb
It is now, though it has origin in Korea. Mentaiko is most widely used in Fukuoka/Hakata, Japan’s main trade port with S. Korea.
esperobbs
It’s both It’s just Korean ones are little more spicier and saltier
Goochenhaumeister
So this is also a yummy snack flavor umaibo makes a bunch of flavors and this one “spicy mentaiko” is my favorite it’s like lays BBQ flavor
EvilBill515
Had these recently after watching an NHK Trails to Oishii episode about their creation. They look ao delicious, but sadly were not for me. I was not a fan of the actual texture and was expecting a firmer one since the ones I had were smoked. I get the concept and appeal, but again just was not for me.
jiylga
There are many theories:
>In the Meiji era, Izuha Higuchi, the son of a samurai from the Aizu domain, moved to Korea to become a police officer. He later switched careers to pursue a life in the fishing industry, working in pollack fishing in Wonsan. He noticed that fishermen were only using the bodies of the Alaskan pollack, and most of their roe was being discarded. This gave him the idea to commercialize it. He took the roe, finely chopped red chili peppers, and salt, creating products he named “mentaiko, mentai no ko” (which translates to “child of myeongtae”). These products were well-received.
16 Comments
Yep
Looks Korean to me (seasoned pollock roe, I sometimes get it at H-Mart and regret it because it’s kinda bitter), but I bet they eat it in Japan too.
Yep, that’s mentaiko I think
While the origins of salted pollock roe are a bit murky, variations have been made and eaten in both Japan and Korea for centuries.
However, given style of salting and preservation of the modern version, and the long history of the production of [jeotgal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeotgal) in Korea, if variations didn’t arise independently in both countries, it probably originated in Korea.
The version with chilies, mentaiko, does absolutely originate in Korea and the name reflects that. Mentai 明太 in Mentaiko 明太子 is the Japanese reading of Myeongtae 명태 / 明太, the Korean word for Alaskan Pollock.
However, Japanese production Mentaiko has been altered for Japanese tastes, and it has long become a very common ingredient in Japanese food.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollock_roe#History](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollock_roe#History)
like others have said, it’s mentaiko and it’s served in japan and korea, but i think this picture is japanese since the chopsticks are made of wood.
Make sure it’s the spicy kind 😍😍😍😍
mentaiko pasta with butter and shiso leaves 💚
As someone else explained this is a dish that is shared by Japanese and Korean cuisine and is definitely eaten in Japan. It probably originated in Korea but the dishes have enough drift they can be considered vaguely different.
The only real question is whether it’s tarako(pollock roe), mentaiko(pollock roe but spicy) or myeongnan(pollock roe but Korean) because it’s virtually impossible to tell them apart from a photo like this.
It’s as Japanese as any salted fish roe product can be. Certain foods like pickles, grilled meats and basic soups occur independently in many cultures. This specifically appears to be the Japanese mentaiko which is a real dish in Japan. So if this is mentaiko, yes, it’s Japanese. If you’re asking about salted roe then it’s yes and no. Either way, I’m happy to call those Japanese cuisine.
It looks like a wet hot cheeto lol
It is now, though it has origin in Korea. Mentaiko is most widely used in Fukuoka/Hakata, Japan’s main trade port with S. Korea.
It’s both
It’s just Korean ones are little more spicier and saltier
So this is also a yummy snack flavor umaibo makes a bunch of flavors and this one “spicy mentaiko” is my favorite it’s like lays BBQ flavor
Had these recently after watching an NHK Trails to Oishii episode about their creation. They look ao delicious, but sadly were not for me. I was not a fan of the actual texture and was expecting a firmer one since the ones I had were smoked. I get the concept and appeal, but again just was not for me.
There are many theories:
>In the Meiji era, Izuha Higuchi, the son of a samurai from the Aizu domain, moved to Korea to become a police officer. He later switched careers to pursue a life in the fishing industry, working in pollack fishing in Wonsan.
He noticed that fishermen were only using the bodies of the Alaskan pollack, and most of their roe was being discarded. This gave him the idea to commercialize it. He took the roe, finely chopped red chili peppers, and salt, creating products he named “mentaiko, mentai no ko” (which translates to “child of myeongtae”). These products were well-received.
[めんたいこ物語:かねふく](https://www.kanefuku.co.jp/story/knowledge/?srsltid=AfmBOoqK7p0-PEeqTPfK9bGBUOUxxn1GKhNPgunLSctn-JmzEhu3bfT6)
Cod roe