When he returned home, he discovered that the dragon King’s daughter had hidden herself inside the ring the two fell in love, got married, and lived happily ever after. The charcoal vendor did as he was bid, and only accepted a small ring. The prince told the vendor that his father, the king, would offer him a reward but said that he must refuse everything except the gift the prince pointed out to him. One day, the carp returned to the vendor, and invited him to accompany him to Yonggung (the dragon palace), where he discovered that the carp was actually a transformed dragon prince. Feeling sorry for the fish, who was greatly distressed, the vendor let him go. There is a Korean folk story – the Tale of Geotaji – which tells of a large carp caught by a charcoal vendor. So much so that on Google Maps, there is an interactive bungeo-ppang map, where people can add their favorite street carts and cafés, along with information relating to opening times, prices, and reviews. In Korea, bungeo-ppang fell out of favor quite early on but thanks to the craze in the 1990s for all things retro, it is now one of the best-loved of Korean street foods. No matter how much he tries, Taiyaki cannot free himself, and so the angler reels him in… and then eats him. Then hunger sets in, and he bites some promising-looking food, only to discover that it’s on the end of a fish hook. This Christmas Day release in 1975 was used in the children’s animated series, “Hirake Ponkikki”, which featured a taiyaki who, fed up with being cooked, escapes his mold, and jumps into the sea.Īt first he’s happy to be free but finds that it’s tiring having to escape from sharks, especially when his belly is weighed down by bean paste, and his body is saturated with water. Taiyaki’s popularity began to wane, however, during the second half of the 20th century, until Masato Shimon released what was to become Japan’s biggest-ever selling single, “Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun” (“Swim Taiyaki!”). Seijiro’s taiyaki were a hit – so much so that the shop he opened still sells taiyaki, and can be found in the Azabu-Jūban district in central Tokyo. Since tai are considered lucky fish, and, due to the fact that at the time, they were expensive, they were usually reserved for special occasions and festivals. Realising that his round bean paste-filled waffles weren’t selling very well, he decided to make them to resemble the expensive sea bream instead, and call them taiyaki. Tai is a red sea bream, while yaki refers to food cooked over a direct heat for example, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, yaki udon, and teriyaki.ĭuring the Meiji era (1868-1912), Seijirō Kanbei moved to Tokyo from Osaka to set up a shop selling imagawayaki. What is the origin of bungeo-ppang or taiyaki?īetween 1910 and the end of WWII in 1945, Korea had been annexed by Japan, and it was during this time that the Japanese introduced Koreans to their bean-filled fish-shaped waffle, taiyaki. This belief is extended in Buddhism so that by balancing body and mind, we each have the ability to reach Nirvana. In ancient Vedic mythology, a pair of fish represent the positive and negative elements that come together to create all life in the world, while the water in which the fish live represents consciousness. Newlyweds are often given plates decorated with a pair of golden carp. ![]() In Asian culture, the carp also represents fertility, and a pair – often used to represent a happy marriage – is symbolic of the union of male and female energies, of mind and heart, of creating balance. In addition, the Chinese word for carp is lǐ (鲤), which is pronounced similarly to the words for profit, 利 and strength 力 (although the tones are slightly different). 鱼 is also pronounced the same as 余 (also, yú) – which means “more” (as in abundance). ![]() This Dragon Gate (lóngmén) – aka Yu’s Doorway (Yǔ ménkǒu) – is in a narrow gorge where the Huang He river separates the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi, and said to be where Dà yǔ split the mountain in two, and founded the Xia dynasty around 4000 years ago.įurthermore, in keeping with this propensity for visual puns, the Chinese character for fish is 鱼 – yú. ![]() Lucky fish in Asian mythologyĪccording to the Chinese legend, “lǐyú tiào lóngmén” (literally, “Carp Jumping Dragon Gate”), the carp can swim upstream, jump to the top of a waterfall called the Dragon Gate, and transform into a dragon. Furthermore, thanks to it producing a plethora of eggs, the carp symbolises abundance. This is due to its ability – much like that of the salmon – to swim upstream in order to reach its spawning grounds, despite the current trying to force it downstream. The carp is a symbol of luck in many countries around the world but particularly in East and Southeast Asia, where it’s symbolic of perseverance in the face of adversity. Bread is a bit of a misnomer, however, because bungeo-ppang is essentially a stuffed waffle.
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