The seasonal foods of September may include octopus,
gizzard and pine mushroom, among them,
pine mushroom is the one that awakens the taste exceptionally this year.

The state containing the energy of pine tree more vividly,
that is, the mushroom just before its cap is unfolded is the best product.
ⓒ Gwon Sun-no

"Summer heat makes even the cones twisted" This saying seems to be perfect to the heat of this summer. Summer heat can't beat the autumn wind but this summer doesn't seem to be disappear even when Ipchu(the beginning of autumn), Cheoseo(around August 23 on the solar canlendar) have passed. Around this time in previous years, people used to catch a summer cold due to the cool night breeze, but this summer, no one caught a cold because the rainy season was unusually long and the scorching heat was not dampened. But the season never skips even though it's late. When August is coming to and end, autumn comes late at night to check its place. Still, Naengmyeon(cold noodles) and Chogyetang(cold chicken soup) stimulate your appetite during the day due to the scorching heat, but late at night, your mouth is watering at the thought of a warm late-night snack.

The seasons visit at night. Autumn foods that come to the mind at this night. 'A webfoot octopus in spring, octopus in autumn', 'flounder in spring, gizzard in autumn' and 'water parsley in spring, and Songi(pine mushroom) in autumn'. The seasonal food in September in the middle of autumn is an octopus, a gizzard and a Songi, the ones that awakens the taste exceptionally this year would be Songi. I think that's because Songi is mainly produced in the eastern sea of Mountain Range. Our mind is probably inclined to Songi that is inseparable with wide eastern sea and pine tree forest because our daily life gets frustrated by prolonged 'Jipgok'(staying at home) due to Covid-19.

Songi containing the energy of sea and the scent of pine tree

Songi is a food which is more difficult to access than octopus or gizzard. No matter how much it is called the "Songi in autumn," it is not easy to find or eat every year because of its high price. Perhaps because of this, it has the image of 'healthy food' rather than dish or food. Of course, it's not just about images, but the Songi contains many healthy nutrients. That's why if you search for Songibeoseot on the Internet, you will find more efficacy and price than cooking.

According to <Donguibogam>, "it is non-toxic, has a sweet taste, and a strong scent. It is parasitic only in pine trees and grows with the energy of pine trees under the old pine trees in the mountains. It is the best among mushrooms growing on trees. It helps the function of the stomach, increases appetite, stops diarrhea, and adds energy.” It is said to contain a lot of vitamins B1, B2, and D, a substance that lowers cholesterol levels, and an anticancer ingredient called Christine. On the other hand, it has a cold nature, and it is said to be not good for health if consumed in large amounts depending on the constitution. However, since you cannot overeat expensive Songi, this is an imaginary fear.

The simpler the Songi dish is, the more you can feel its original flavor, so the dishes introduced are basic and not many. Most of them are hot pot or grilled dish, but there is no Maeuntang(spicy stew) or seasoned grilled. There is no law against eating it that way, but it's only possible if you're not a person who doesn't know the taste of Songi well or who are overflowing with money. This is because it is a cooking method that kills the aroma, the core of the Songi taste. The scent of the Songi determines the flavor. This does not match the grade that determines the price of Songi. In this regard, Gwon Sun-no, a representative of Yangyang Natural Songi Farming Corporation(hereinafter referred to as “Agricultural Corporation”) said, "The best taste of the Songi peaks when the cap of mushrooms are opened, that is, when they are just ripe." This is because the Songi smells best.

However, unlike other mushrooms, Songi values stem rather than cap, so no matter how big, the mushroom with its cap spread is classified as offgrade product. Of course, the price is also significantly different than the first-class product. Accordingly, Gwon explained, "In Europe, which is famous for truffle(Western truffle), the mushroom with its cap spread is judged to be the best, but in Korea which values energy, the state containing the energy of pine tree vividly, that is, the mushroom with its cap not spread, is judged to be the best. But in terms of cooking, Songi is a 'food' that is fascinated by scents. That's why people say "Songi eats with his nose". I have an interesting episode about this.

The moment when the cap of mushroom is just unfolded,
that is the time when just ripe, the taste of Songi is the best. ⓒ Gwon Sun-no

Unknowingly imitating Parvenu

I clearly remember when I first encountered Songi (yes, I don't taste but literally greet it with honor'). It was somewhere on the east coast of Gangwon-do, but I don't remember exactly where it was. And why did I go there. Probably, it is because all of the specific memories are concentrated on the encounter with the Songi. I was in the middle of thirty, but I was the youngest in the group. Of course, I don't remember why I joined the group of people of my uncle's age. However, it is vague that the restaurant I went with was a bit old, but not shabby.

One of the adults ordered, and soon two kinds of dishes came out. No, it would be more accurate to say that the ingredients came out rather than dish. In the hot pot, the Songi were sliced to a suitable size, and the Songi on a large plate were sliced a little thicker. The Songi served on a plate with the Songibeoseotjeongol(Pine Mushroom Hot Pot) was for the salt roast. But next to the pile of slices on the plate, there were four not sliced Songi. The eldest adult of the day, handed out the Songi one by one. He said to savor the scent and eat it raw.

I received a Songi and took a bite. Before I even felt the taste, the scent of the ripe Songi in which the scent of pine tree is deeply infiltrated rushed to me. Well, I think that I closed my eyes without even knowing. Chewed several times and swallowed it. Even though the mouth was empty, the subtle scent lingered. The taste and texture are just supplementary things, thinking this mushroom has a good scent, the moment I tried to eat one more bite, I felt people staring at me. Three "adults" older than I were looking at me intently. With sad eyes looking at a thoughtless child, a rich man with a lot of money only, they carefully tearing Songi into thin pieces, as if tearing crab meat.

Ah, I guessed the meaning of their gaze, it didn't take a long time to figure out it. I lowered my head to avoid their gaze, and my face turned slightly red, and my hands were tearing the Songi as they did. I can't remember the taste of the two Songi dishes, but when I think of the thinly torn Songi, the scent also lingers from beyond my memory.

“That mountain tells me go down, go down.”

The journey to the Songi can't be accomplished every year, but I think I can't skip it this year. However, determining where to go in the East Sea coast, is just happy concerns to me. After much consideration and coordination, I decided to go to Yangyang beyond Hangyeryeong Pass. Yangyang is now closer than Incheon in the eastern metropolitan area. In terms of distance, Incheon is much closer, but considering the road situation, it takes less than two hours from east Seoul to Yangyang, it sometimes even closer than Incheon at rush hour. Seoul-Yangyang Expressway brought East Sea closer to the metropolitan area. But everything has two sides of coin. It is a great pity that we can go to Yangyang without passing Hangyeryeong Pass.

Moreover, it is even more true if the tunnel is 10 kilometers long. I think it seems like a diver who has gone deep rises to the surface in an instant without a decompression device. In my experience, eating fragrant Songi in an instant is no different from "passing" the Baekdu-daegan at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour. Even though I had no choice but to "pass" to meet the promise time by considering vacation season, the traffic was light in the expressway heading to east sea in the middle of August due to prolonged rainy season with heavy rain or due to covid-19. I should have used the old road if I had known it would be like this.

Modern history of Songi, from export force into 'gold' Songi

Whether crossing or passing, there was Yangyang beyond the mountain. Because it was not yet the time to harvest Songi, I couldn't see the Songi that broke through the ground under the pine trees and sprouted under pine branches, but I could see the pine forest where Songi were collected. Representative Gwon of the farming corporation guided us to the pine forest where Songi were to be harvested. There is a slight difference in the timing of mushroom collection, but it is said to be around a month before and after Chuseok. At that time, people stay and eat in the mountains and go out looking for Songi. The person who picks Songi is not named like Simmani, who picks wild ginseng. Perhaps it is because most of the Songi harvesting is a joint work done by the village. In principle, Songi collection is prohibited in national parks, and private forests hire the labor to harvest Songi, and the harvest can be only done by authorized persons and groups by village in provincial forests.

Collecting(gathering) and hunting were methods of obtaining food required to maintain human life before settling by farming. Hunting is now maintained as a leisure sport, but even that is being recognized as a behavior against life. Collecting is the only primitive way of dealing with nature and is still useful. This is because it is the only way to obtain natural food that is not grown artificially. So, although there are variations from year to year, the first grade Songi sometimes exceed 200,000 won per kilogram.

If the situation has come this far, it deserves the best mushroom ever, why people say 'First Neungi(a species of mushroom), Second Songi, and third Pyogo(golden oak mushiroom) (sometimes 2 or 3 switches depending on the person)? I was curious. "It's not wrong, but maybe our ancestors determine it based on the storage method?" Gwon guessed. In the past, when it was impossible to store mushrooms in a freezer, they had no choice but to dry them for storage, because when they are dried, the scent of the Songi is rapidly reduced. According to <Donguibogam>, a clear source, "It is the best mushroom growing on trees", so it is problematic to judge the Songi as 2nd or 3rd place. I had no choice but nod my head at the thought to rank food was not a person's attitude toward nature.

Even Such a good Songi contains the backside of our modern history. It has not been long since we were able to eat them. Until 1990s, the distribution was prohibited in domestic market in order to export all of them to Japan. Not only the Songi, but also various agricultural and marine products. Even if it is export for economic growth, it cannot but be a heartbreaking history. As if during the colonial period, many people were hungry, but rice was stolen in the name of export.

Now when such restrictions have disappeared, the amount of harvests is now reduced1) due to climate change making the price too high, so the Songi is recognized as an ingredient that cannot be ordered with modest pocketbook. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that it is not just a Songi but a 'gold' Songi. So Songi is sold more as a gift than as the purpose of eating. Nevertheless, Representative Gwon recommended to buy lower grade or offgrade products with cap unfolded if you like Songi. He felt sorry for people's preconceptions saying the offgrade product with mature taste and scent is good to eat regardless of the energy of mushroom.

Beyond 'gold' Songi, to many people with various foods

Because the harvest amount is small and it is collected only in fall season, the Songi is a precious food even if it is offgrade product. Because its scarcity makes it difficult to access frequently, so even if people have money, people tend to seek not Songi but other food. Even though it is rare, it is not selling well. The way to solve this problem is easier said than done. Reducing prices and increasing the amount of collection. But in reality, none of them are possible. Park Young-hak, a representative of Daesol Farming Association (hereinafter referred to as Daesol), who has studied and commercialized the Songi guarantees that there is a clue to solving the problem from the decrease in the number of people who like the Songi.

Representative Park said, "People don't like Songi not because the prices are high but because children don't like the texture and scent of Songi as their eating habits have changed to meat-oriented western-style." 'What you mean? The key charm of Songi is fragrance'. “Like carrot, cucumber, and eggplant, children hate Songi due to its slippery texture.” “Because moms set the table to suit children's tastes, even adults who used to like Songi become naturally far from it." Therefore, in order to lower the price of Songi food and make people enjoy them regardless of generation, it is necessary to research and develop several derivative foods using Songi as an ingredient.

Of course, it is necessary to discover a sales channel for gifts according to image of expensive Songi, but demand is not increasing anymore, and even such a demand is decreasing because of the 'Kim Young Ran Act'. Therefore, representative Park and Daesol are now pioneering various sales channels by developing Songi foods that are not gift-oriented, high-quality Songi foods, but sweets that children can enjoy, as well as healthy foods with adult diseases such as diabetes in mind.

"Ogoksanchaebunmal(Five grains wild vegetable powder)" is a healthy food that helps prevent and treat adult diseases for those who have difficulty in digesting brown rice as it contains five domestic grains, seven vegetables and three vegetables, including Songi, to add insufficient nutrients to rice," Park introduced. He also emphasized, "Exported Songi snacks and jelly are targeting the tastes of Korean American and Americans at K-mart, which sells a lot of Korean food," adding that he is further researching and developing and trying to expand related products to cosmetics as well as various foods like Western truffle products.

"At this moment, like a magic"

In the evening, I greeted the Songi dish I had dreamed of at 'Songigol'. 'Songidolsotbap(Pine mushroom hot stone pot rice)', there's no such dish to fully eat the aroma of Songi when considering the so-called cost effectiveness. If you sit in front of 'Songijeongol(Pine mushroom hot pot)', you will focus on the two Songi dishes only, so that you feel guilty for the other side dishes on the table. You will not be envious of the Emperor's table. At this moment, you open the lid of the stone pot and take a shower with the scent of Songi, and eat a spoonful of the mysterious soup of the Songijeongol, both the heat and the anxiety of the covid-19 seem to all disappear like a magic.

After eating full, I look down at the table, and the empty stone pot and hot pot contrast the several side dish bowls that I barely touched. As Daesol's representative Park talked about, like Japanese furikake, we look forward to the day to eat “Songi food that children also love,” and Songiramen from the farming association's representative Gwon. At the end of this article, I made a call to Yangyang County Office. It is said that the Yangyang Mushroom Festival,” scheduled for the second week of October this year, has not been canceled yet. At this time when Covid-19 is severe, the festival seems to be not easy. However, I hope that the covid-19 cases subside for a month and a quiet and calm Songi festival will be held. A festival where people keep their distance from each other and welcome Songi, block splashes and enjoy the Songi scent coming through the mask... .

1) Korean Songi is classified along with Pacific Bluefin Tuna as endangered species in the Red List by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (<Korea Duty Free News, July 10, 2020.)

Coverage help such as interviewing, filming, etc.·

• Gwon Sun No, CEO of Yangyang Natural Songi Farming Association
• Park Young-hak, CEO of Daesol Agricultural Cooperative Corporation(Nature and Food Daesol, True Nature)·
• Natural Songi dish 'Songigol'

Reference Content

• <Extreme Job: Perfect for this fall! - Songi and Small Octopus> (EBS, October 17, 2018)
• <Documentary Today: Autumn Mountain Treasure, Songi (EBS, December 7, 2016)
• Hakgasan Songi www.hakasansonge.com

Edited by Choi Kyuseung Photo by Han Heeseok Published by Korean Food Promotion Institute

Choi Kyuseung
Poet. In 2000, he debuted with the