Myeolchi-bokkeum멸치볶음

For a long time, the anchovy got little respect. In Jasan Eobo, the 1814 study of marine life by Jeong Yak-jeon, it is recorded as myeoreo (蔑魚), written with a character meaning "to look down on," which says a lot about how humble it was considered. The same record notes it was too lowly to give as a gift. Earlier still, Kim Ryeo's Uhae Ieobo of 1803 calls it myeora (鱴兒) and says some were eaten fresh and some dried.

By the late Joseon period anchovies were caught in staggering numbers. Yi Gyu-gyeong's Oju Yeonmun Jangjeon Sango describes single nets filling whole boats, with fish that couldn't be dried in time rotting and ending up as fertilizer, while dried anchovies were eaten as an everyday side dish. Seo Yu-gu's Nanho Eomokji likewise mentions anchovies being spread out to dry on sandbanks and sold.

How an anchovy is used depends on its size. Large ones go into stock or fermented sauce, while small ones are stir-fried or braised for the table, and the tiniest grade is, surprisingly, the most expensive. Myeolchi-bokkeum (멸치볶음) is a mainstay of mitbanchan, the long-keeping "dry side dishes" alongside braises, salted fish and pickles. Strongly seasoned, it keeps well and needs no reheating, so it can be brought out for any meal.