Eating Live Octopus in South Korea: A Truly Strange Adventure

Have you ever eaten something that was still moving? Well in Busan, South Korea, you can! In the Jagalchi Fish Market, they are constantly getting fresh fish delivered as they are right against the bay, and it is where I decided that eating a live octopus was a good idea. Here you can see both tiny and enormous octopus swimming around in their tanks, just waiting for their impending doom (aka the salivating mouths that are walking around the market for lunch). Eating live octopus in South Korea is an experience that I will never forget.

Some adventures are stranger than others.

Adventure is everything to me. I love experiencing new things and taking on challenges. However, when I saw that you could eat something that was still moving, I wasn’t exactly excited. To be honest, I walked back and forth through the fish market, but my mind kept coming back to the live octopus. Where else was I going to get the chance to do this?

To be honest, I am actually an incredibly picky eater. However, when I am traveling, I know that food is such a huge part of a culture, and I want to experience it all. So I have begun to go out of my way to adventure, even with food! I decided that I couldn’t leave South Korea without trying one of these strange dishes, so I picked a tent in the fish market, walked in, and ordered live octopus. If you want to know what eating live octopus is really like, I’ve documented my entire experience for you.

Read More: Must-Read Tips for the First-Time Traveler to South Korea

Is it really “alive”?

“Raw” is what they call it, because it is not really alive, but it is moving! The octopi’s tentacles have nerves in them that cause them to stay “alive” for 10 or so minutes after they have been cut up. This means that your food is not only moving, but the tentacles are wrapping around the chopsticks, your tongue, and anything else they can find! It also means that they continue to utilize their suction cups too!

Ps: Keep scrolling to get to the video of the octopus AND the video of me trying it for the first time 😉

What was the experience of eating live octopus like?

When you order the dish, they chop it up and season it, and serve it to you as it’s wiggling around on the plate. It cost more than most foods and set me back about 10,000 won (roughly 10 USD), but it isn’t exactly the most commonly eaten food. In fact, it’s actually a dangerous food to eat. The tentacles suction cup to almost anything they touch, which means that if you don’t thoroughly chew your food, the tentacle can suction cup to your throat on the way down and you could choke to death. So chew well!

Everyone seems to ask me what octopus tastes like. The best way I can describe it is this way: Live octopus is chewy and tastes mildly like un-fried calamari. They seasoned it with sesame seeds and something else, and they served it with this DELICIOUS butter and lemon sauce in dish. When eaten by itself, it was interesting and ok. But with the sauce, it was AMAZING actually. I would have ordered more if I wasn’t full from snacking all day.

I’m serious. I was floored by how delicious it was. If I were to rank my favorite foods that I have eaten, I would rank this in the top ten. It was very similar to calamari, but it was both slimy, suctiony, moving, and a million things all at once. It was like a weird little party in my mouth.

If you are interested in weird foods or funny prank gifts check these babies out: Edible Tarantula, Edible Scorpion, Edible Mixed Bugs, and Canned Rattlesnake. I found all of those on amazon the other day and was truly both intrigued and disgusted. If you decide to try one of those, send me an email to let me know what you thought of it!

***Affiliate links are used: If you purchase through my links, I will receive a small commission. The support of you purchasing through my link allows me to follow by dreams! So I thank you for all of your support!!!***

Would you recommend live Octopus?

I really enjoyed the experience! Not only was it a “wow you really did that?” kind of moment, it also was really fun and unique. I walked into the tent and found myself in a traditionally Asian dinner setting as I sat on a cushion on the floor with my short table. The octopus itself was fun to eat! I had to fight with the tentacles to get them on my chopsticks. The tentacles themselves suction-cupped to my tongue. It was a similar feeling to when your feet fall asleep— that prickly, tingly feeling, except the feeling was localized to the tiny circular areas that were being suction cupped. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before, and I would HIGHLY recommend it.

You can see the mildly unflattering video of me eating a live octopus and trying this disgusting delicacy for the first time below. Notice how the tentacle moves around the chopsticks. I’m not exactly a pro when it comes to chopsticks, and those little suckers *pun intended* made it even more difficult!

Spoiler: I finished the entire dish and it was delicious.

I am so glad that I was able to experience this. It will forever be a time when I feel like I really conquered my picky eating and just enjoyed the opportunity presented to me. I can’t wait to go back to Busan and bring Eric. He wouldn’t have believed that I had eaten it if I hadn’t recorded it!

Would you try the live octopus?