Masan Agu-jjim Street

Masan, located on the southern coast of Gyeongsangnam-do, is famous for agu-jjim (steamed monkfish). The dish is both spicy and pure, using a fish with a simple flavor, but adding plenty of spices to the broth. Monkfish is also full of vitamin A, making it good for the skin, as well as having little fat and helping with digestion. The vegetables mixed into the broth contain vitamin C, making this spicy dish very healthy.

Masan Agu-jjim Street got its start in the mid-1960s, around the area of Odong-dong. Shop-keepers who generally sold jangeo-guk (eel stew) began to create something similar to bukeo-jjim (steamed pufferfish), using monkfish instead of the usual pufferfish. This new creation, agu-jjim, was easy enough for the locals to adjust to, and soon many people were ordering it. From just one shop, the dish has spread into over 20 shops on this street selling agu-jjim.