Yukhoe, a Korean delicacy, offers raw meat usually marinated in savory seasonings. It’s versatile, made from lean beef cuts or alternative meats like pheasant or horse. Prepared with meticulous care, it’s akin to Western tartare. Its historical roots trace back to the 19th century cookbook Siuijeonseo. Despite health concerns, Korea’s Beef Traceability System ensures safety. However, a tragic 2011 incident in Japan highlighted risks associated with improperly handled raw beef, prompting stricter regulations.
Yukhoe is a dish in Korean food culture that features raw meat. While beef is the usual choice, it can be made with different types and parts of meat.
Yukhoe literally translates to ‘raw meat’ in Korean. Originally, it referred to any dish of raw meat without marinade. However, colloquially, yukhoe now commonly refers to marinated raw beef slices. While it’s less common today, yukhoe can be made with various types of meat. Different types of yukhoe specify the meat source, like kkwong-yukhoe made of pheasant or mal-yukhoe made of horse meat.
Yukhoe is often made from lean parts like the eye of round, but softer cuts of beef work too. First, the beef is sliced thinly, removing any fat. Then, it’s seasoned with salt, sugar, sesame oil, pepper, and garlic. Korean pear, raw egg yolk, and pine nuts are popular toppings. It’s akin to Western tartare or Levantine kibbeh nayeh.
Yukhoe can also be made with different beef parts like liver, kidney, heart, cheonyeop, or yang. When prepared this way, it’s called gaphoe (갑회; 甲膾). The ingredients are carefully cleaned, salted, rinsed, and dried to get rid of any unwanted smells. Gaphoe is typically seasoned with sesame oil, salt, and pepper, and served with a spicy mustard sauce.
History
In the 19th century cookbook Siuijeonseo (시의전서, 是議全書), it’s mentioned that thin slices of tender beef were soaked to remove blood before being finely shredded. Then, the shredded beef was marinated in a sauce made of chopped spring onion, minced garlic, pepper, oil, honey, pine nuts, sesame, and salt. The dipping sauce, chogochujang (초고추장), a mix of chili pepper condiment with vinegar and sugar, could be adjusted to taste, adding pepper or honey as desired.
Health Concerns
In Korean cuisine, meat quality is meticulously categorized based on freshness, quality, and part suitability for specific cooking methods. Because yukhoe involves raw beef, freshness is crucial. It’s recommended to use beef within a day after defrosting and not to age it beyond a day after slaughtering. Regular yukhoe consumers often prefer trusted restaurants or butcher’s shops known for high-quality beef.
Since 2004, the Korean Government implemented the Beef Traceability System. This system tracks beef origins, suppliers, distributors, grades, butchering dates, and originating butcheries. Many reputable beef restaurants in Korea display this information. Butcher shops also announce “new beef coming day,” indicating freshly butchered beef supplied that day, a well-known practice in Korea.
Raw beef carries the risk of pathogenic bacteria contamination, with strains like enterohemorrhagic E. coli (O111 or O157:H7) being particularly concerning. Freshness is key to minimizing this risk.
Japan 2011 Incident
In April and May 2011, there was a serious incident in Japan related to yukke (Japanese spelling). Five people lost their lives, and over 35 were hospitalized after consuming yukke made from beef not intended for raw consumption. This happened in various branches of a bulgogi restaurant chain in Toyama and Kanagawa prefectures. Enterohemorrhagic E. coli bacteria were found in many of the cases.
On October 22, 2011, the last hospitalized victim, a 14-year-old boy, passed away from hemolytic-uremic syndrome. In total, the incident claimed five lives. In response, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) developed regulations for trimming raw beef to remove surface contamination. They also established new regulations requiring cooking the surface of beef 1 cm deep to further reduce contamination. However, since yukhoe/yukke pieces are typically smaller than 1 cm cubes, meeting this standard would cook the beef entirely, changing its nature from yukhoe/yukke.