What is Marsh Snail Concentrate 60?

Marsh Snail Concentrate is a thick extract produced by cleaning, removing impurities, and drying raw marsh snails, followed by crushing them and simmering them with water in a traditional cast-iron cauldron for 12 hours to extract the essence of the snail meat. The '60' in Marsh Snail Concentrate 60 refers to the product containing 60 pouches per box. The terms Marsh Snail Decoction or Marsh Snail Extract are generally used more frequently than 'Marsh Snail Concentrate.'

'Haegam' (purging) refers to the process of removing foreign substances from inside the shells of creatures living in the sea or rivers. When marsh snails are placed in dark water, they undergo this purging process. Because marsh snails are nocturnal, they extend their bodies outside their shells to move around in the dark, which causes the impurities inside the shells to be expelled.

The manufacturer of this concentrate, Yeongwol Pyeongchang Marsh Snail, has received HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certification from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, ensuring that the product is produced safely and hygienically. Below is a brief introduction to the raw material, the marsh snail.

Marsh Snail

Marsh snails (known as 'Dalseulgi' or 'Olgaengi' in Korean) are called by various regional names including 'Minmul-dalseulgi,' 'Minmul-godung,' 'Godung,' 'Dosulbi,' 'Godi,' 'Godong,' 'Minmul-godong,' 'Sora,' 'Daesari,' 'Kkolpaengi,' and 'Golbaengi.' Because marsh snails have been a familiar food source for our ancestors, there are many regional dialects used to refer to them. They inhabit most rivers and streams in the Korean Peninsula, except in the far north.

Marsh snails are distributed across Korea, Japan (south of Hokkaido), Taiwan, and China. As mollusks living in rivers, lakes, streams, and ponds, their Chinese character name, Wara(蝸螺), is composed of the characters for 'snail' (蝸) and 'conch' (螺). They are referred to as Wara in Korea, Senken in Japan, and Danguquan in China.

There are 3 genera(屬) and a total of 9 species(種) in Korea, including the common marsh snail, black marsh snail, wrinkled marsh snail, small wrinkled marsh snail, beaded marsh snail, banded beaded marsh snail, pearl marsh snail, Semisulcospira coreana, and pouch marsh snail. North Chungcheong Province is famous for marsh snails and its Marsh Snail Hangover Soup. The Donggang River in Yeongwol is home to many pearl and beaded marsh snails.

Marsh Snail Farming

In December 2010, marsh snail farming was successfully achieved for the first time in the world in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province. However, it is still too early to mass-produce them for the food industry through farming. Although farming was successful in Yesan using formula feed developed by the National Institute of Fisheries Science, industrialization is difficult due to the high cost of feed.

Humans still do not fully understand the ecology of marsh snails. Currently, small-scale farming is being attempted in about 15 locations across Korea, where snails are hatched and raised to a juvenile stage in farms before being released into streams to grow to full size. Even this method is reportedly not very easy.

The annual demand for marsh snails in Korea is about 6,000–7,000 tons for consumption in major cities, but domestic production is only about 2,000–3,000 tons, necessitating imports to meet the remainder. Naturally, imported snails are also wild-caught, as large-scale farming is not viable abroad either.

Why Marsh Snails are Famous

Marsh snails became famous due to the late Kim Il-hoon, a practitioner of traditional folk medicine from Hamyang, Gyeongsangnam-do. Kim was the developer of 'Insan Bamboo Salt,' made by putting salt into bamboo and roasting it nine times.

He was famous for helping many people by processing common animals and plants in unique ways. His descendants and enthusiasts of his folk medicine have established the Insan Oriental Medical Clinic, Insan Bamboo Salt Co., Ltd., and the Insan Philosophy Association to honor his legacy.

Kim treated marsh snails based on the energy associated with the colors of objects. Just as he developed bamboo salt using the white energy of salt (白) and the high-temperature red energy of fire (火), he created marsh snail oil using the blue energy of marsh snail meat (靑) and the high-temperature red energy of fire (火). As marsh snail oil gained fame, marsh snail concentrate was born. Below is the appearance of the marsh snail meat, which possesses this blue energy.

Composition of Marsh Snails

The table below shows the general composition of marsh snail meat. 'Dry matter basis' means the content ratio calculated excluding water content.

General Composition Table of Marsh Snail Meat (Dry Matter Basis)

The composition analysis above is for marsh snail meat, not marsh snail oil. However, since marsh snail oil is made by dissolving snail meat, understanding the components of the meat allows us to grasp the composition of the oil. Let’s briefly review the general components of marsh snail meat.

The characteristic of marsh snail composition is that it is high in protein and contains a balanced, rich variety of nutrients.

Differences between Marsh Snail Oil and Marsh Snail Concentrate

The most famous marsh snail products are marsh snail oil and marsh snail concentrate. Therefore, here is a brief introduction to the differences between these two products.

Freshwater Snail Oil Manufacturing Method

A brief introduction to the freshwater snail oil manufacturing process.

Freshwater Snail Concentrate Manufacturing Method

A brief introduction to the freshwater snail concentrate manufacturing process.

The manufacturer/supplier of this product is Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail Co., Ltd. (CEO: Cho Byeong-chan). About 25 years ago, CEO Cho began working in the freshwater snail wholesale and retail business, harvesting and selling snails in the Yeongwol Donggang and Jecheon areas. Fascinated by the benefits of freshwater snails, he established the private enterprise Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail in 2009 and began producing snail-processed products. In 2020, based on his 25 years of experience in harvesting, processing, and selling freshwater snails, he established Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail Co., Ltd., a company specializing in snail processing.

Yeongwol Pyeongchang Freshwater Snail Co., Ltd. received HACCP certification from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2022, and as of 2024, it produces and sells freshwater snail oil, concentrate, raw snails, peeled snails, snails for stock, and snail broth. We take pride in being a company that produces hygienic and safe freshwater snail products. Here is a brief introduction to our company.

Not legally applicable to this food product.

Not legally applicable to this food product.

Not legally applicable to this food product.

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