San-nakji

Type	Hoe
Place of origin	Korea
Associated cuisine	Korean cuisine
Main ingredients	Long arm octopus
Media: San-nakji

San-nakji (산낙지) is a variety of hoe (raw dish) made with long arm octopus (Octopus minor), a small octopus species called nakji in Korean and is sometimes translated into "baby octopus" due to its relatively small size compared to the giant octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini).^[1] The octopuses are most commonly killed before being cut into small pieces and served, with the nerve activity in the octopus' tentacles making the pieces move posthumously on the plate while served.^[2][3][4] The octopus' highly complex nervous system, with two-thirds of its neurons localised in the nerve cords of its arms, lets the octopus show a variety of reflex actions that persist even when they have no input from the brain.^[5][6] Less commonly, a live octopus is eaten whole.^[7] The dish is sprinkled with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.^[8]

Language difference

Vocabularies in the two Koreas differ on nakji: South Koreans call Octopus minor, a small kind of octopus (often mistranslated as "baby octopus") nakji, while North Koreans call a squid nakji (nakchi in McCune–Reischauer romanization).

Choking hazard

Consuming sannakji can be dangerous especially for diners who are intoxicated. Octopuses' limbs contain neurons, where the extremities continue to move and the suction cups along its tentacles maintain their gripping power that might attach to one's throat, even after getting detached from the body and doused with sesame oil, ^[9] which presents a potentially fatal choking hazard.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Prevalence

Sannakji is served in Korean restaurants that serve sliced raw fish, but it also can be found at bars as a snack to accompany alcoholic beverages, such as soju.