I traveled to South Korea to luxuriate in. And each chew changed into better than the final! From within the community grilled seafood to the tastiest freeway meals alternate choices for the duration of the country, right here are the meals and snacks that you bask in to hope to take a stare upon!
Bean Sprout & Rice Soup with Squid at Nambu Market
Table of Contents
South Korea is one of potentially the most delectable areas to skills a vacation (or even your honeymoon)! After our marriage ceremony, my spouse & I spent 2 weeks eating our procedure around the country. South Korea is unassuming and cheap to navigate by technique of public transit. In a 2 week day trail back and forth you are going to be ready to trail to a entire lot of locations with out feeling rushed. Here’s a spherical-up of potentially the most attention-grabbing meals we ate in South Korea.
Flavors of Busan
Positioned on the southeastern tip of South Korea, Busan is the 2d most populous city with over 3 million folks. Busan is a port city and economic hub well identified for seashores, and clearly, seafood! This changed into our well-liked city to trail to in South Korea, and there are so many awesome issues to enact in Busan!
Grilled Shellfish in Cheongsapo (청사포), Busan
My spouse’s all-time well-liked, most final meal in South Korea changed into grilled shellfish in Cheongsapo, Busan. Busan is a port city, and the native seafood alternate choices are out of this world! In actuality, even must you don’t love seafood, you would possibly maybe well per chance fair peaceable peaceable trail to due to a meal in Cheongsapo may per chance maybe well fair commerce your thoughts.
Head to Noran Mahura (노란마후라) for a lunch or dinner of barbecued shellfish that is to die for! The vibe is substantial informal, and you are going to be ready to skills a table looking fair exact out onto the water. There’s a grill for the duration of the table, and you completely barbecue the meal fair exact there in entrance of you. Resolve on between clams, oysters, minute, muscle groups and extra. Here’s an particularly substantial probability for groups! Invent now no longer terror must you’ve by no means grilled shellfish yourself before. The group will allow you to out.
Address: Noran Mahura (노란마후라) 60 Cheongsapo-ro 128beon-gil, Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan (부산광역시 해운대구 청사포로128번길 60)
Grilled with a mixture of butter, onion, carrots and mushrooms over an start flame. Noran Mahura changed into one of potentially the most attention-grabbing meals we had in South Korea!
A transient taxi hobble from Haeundae Sea high-tail, #Cheongsapo is most attention-grabbing visited within the afternoon. On a sunny day stroll alongside the fishing pier and to concept Cheongsapo’s two lighthouses looking over the Sea of Japan. #visitBusan
Pajeon (파전) – Scallion Pancake
This straightforward Korean staple is packed with flavor! Made of a snide of eggs, wheat flour & rice flour, add in astronomical scallions to carry out the strange and delectable flavor of pajeon. In the end of South Korea you are going to be ready to skills a fluctuate of jeon and buchimgae adaptations, including red meat, pork, kimchi, seafood and squid. ‘Pa’ is Korean for scallion, hence pajeon being particularly a scallion pancake. On our day trail back and forth we loved pajeon in eating areas and even learned to develop the dish in a Korean cooking class!
What makes pajeon so flavorful is the amount of chopped scallions within the dish! Scallions are with out a doubt the dominant ingredient, fair relying on the batter to retain the pancake together.
Are you heading to Busan? One in every of the top issues to enact in Busan is to trail to Beomeosa temple. Waiting fair beyond on the bus dwell are a few native pajeon retail outlets that I suggest you pop into for a day snack! You won’t feel sorry about it. Demonstrate that the pancakes are somewhat sizeable, so possess in thoughts sharing one must you are going to personal a commute buddy.
We started off our day trail back and forth to South Korea with a breakfast in Seoul, including a kimchi pancake! Fetch certain to take a stare upon this fluctuate, too!
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Flavors of Seoul
Seoul is the assign centuries of Korean history approach face-to-face with a as much as date cityscape of skyscrapers and booming tech pattern. There’s so worthy to concept and enact in Seoul, including a number of Korean meals to take a stare upon! We spent about 5 days exploring town.
Kimchi Dumplings in Gwangjang Market
Gwangjang Market is one of Seoul’s largest outposts of oldschool meals vendors. With over 200 market stalls selling meals, there are a number of awesome dishes to take a stare upon! Gwangjang Market is a foodie marathon, now no longer a trail. On your rapid checklist may per chance maybe well fair peaceable be a bowl of kimchi dumpling soup. These dumplings (or mandu in Korean) are in total made with a filling of kimchi, scallions, beansprouts, pork/tofu and onions. If you would possibly maybe well per chance be a vegetarian verify with the vendor whether or now no longer their dumplings personal meat.
Gwangjang Market and kimchi dumplings from the Gohyang Kalguksu stall were recently featured on the Netflix Genuine Series Avenue Meals: Asia. Accoring to the series, “Gwangjang Market is one of potentially the most attention-grabbing areas for oldschool Korean meals within the country. It’s a chaotic paradise of meals.” Fetch determined you would possibly maybe well per chance be hungry must you would possibly maybe well per chance be attain, however even be acutely aware to tempo yourself.
As you stroll by Gwangjang Market be ready for sensory overload in potentially the most delectable procedure that you are going to be ready to reveal. Many stalls provide rapid snacks to switch whereas you stroll. Or, pull up a bench and sit down for down for a steamy bowl of mandu with hand slice noodles. The skills of looking at noodles slice fair exact in entrance of you, feeling the aromatic steam from boiling pots and listening to the sizzle of freshly frying treats is something you are going to be acutely aware long after your trail to!
Additionally transliterated as Kwangjang Market, it’s one of Seoul’s oldest oldschool markets peaceable in expend this day! There are over 5,000 retail outlets selling all the pieces you are going to be ready to reveal from meals to vegetables, clothing, dwelling items and extra.
One other Korean well-liked is the mung bean pancake, or bindae-tteok. First, mung beans are soaked after which finely ground the expend of a oldschool stone grinder. Greens, meat, and spices are then jumbled together, and the batter is poured onto a sizzling cooking ground lined in oil. Bindae-tteok are warm and flavorful. They weren’t my personal well-liked, however are undoubtedly worth trying!
Samgyetang (삼계탕) – Korean Ginseng Rooster Soup
Ginseng is revered as a vitality-packed herb offering an ultimate need of health advantages in oldschool remedy for the duration of Asia. For centuries Koreans personal taken ginseng to alleviate an array of health concerns from the total frigid to longer-term illnesses. Ginseng is also the preeminent ingredient in samgyetang, or ginseng rooster soup. Samgyetang is historically ready by cooking a total young rooster in a broth flavored with ginseng, garlic, jujube and most regularly scallions or extra substances.
Eating a bowl of samgyetang is speculated to present you with a health enhance, and I can see why. This warm soup is for certain comforting and filling, however doesn’t trail away you feeling heavy or weighed down. I truly loved trying samgyetang, however my spouse wasn’t delighted. If you’re exploring Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village, dwell by Cco Cco Ro for a bowl of samgyetang. The restaurant is touristy, however it with out a doubt is a truly easy space to take a stare upon this traditional Korean dish. And grab a put up-ginseng selfie at their ridiculous rooster “Photo Situation”.
If you’re booking an organized tour from Seoul (purchasing excursions, visits to the DMZ, etc.), your tour will potentially dwell on the Korean Ginseng Middle. Here’s a peculiar, but memorable space. The Middle is a ginseng cheerleading tour-processing manufacturing facility that is fully a hype man extolling the virtues of Korean ginseng. We did truly learn somewhat referring to the history of ginseng and the procedure it’s grown, however the propaganda is somewhat overwhelming.
Incheon – Home to South Korea’s Supreme Chinatown
Bordering Seoul to the west is Incheon, dwelling to South Korea’s handiest legitimate Chinatown! You will fair well be flying in or out of Incheon Global Airport on your trail to to South Korea, however town is worthy of a trail to on it’s personal. (Particularly must you’re a history-loving foodie bask in me!)
Jjajangmyeon (짜장면)
Jjajangmyeon (or jajangmyeon) is a noodle dish topped with diced pork, vegetables and the signature sauce manufactured from chunjang, a thick dusky brown paste manufactured from fermented wheat flour and soy beans. Jjajangmyeon is the Korean adaptation of zhájiàngmiàn (炸酱面), or “noodles with soybean paste” from the Japanese Chinese Province of Shandong. This day, you are going to be ready to trail to the city of Incheon, dwelling of South Korea’s largest Chinatown and the assign jjajangmyeon originated in 1905!
What started as a low-worth meal for Chinese port group in Incheon has developed into the staple meal of South Korea’s unofficial, KPop-impressed vacation: Dim Day. Dim Day is the tragic sister vacation to Valentine’s Day to your entire Korean singles. Essentially based fully on the NY Events Journal columnist Sam Sifton, “Those unencumbered by dates or romance are meant to win in their sharpest, blackest outfits and revel in one of Korea’s substantial comfort meals, jajangmyeon, a thick, coal-colored gravy of dusky-bean sauce, pork and onions ladled over burly noodles and served with candy pickled daikon.”
Jjangmyeon Museum
The Jjanjangmyeon Museum is found within the building of the earlier Gonghwachun Restaurant the assign the dish changed into first served! Head to the museum to learn extra referring to the history of this well-known dish and the procedure it’s interwoven with Chinese affect in South Korea.
What’s even better than studying referring to the history of jjajangmyeong? With out a doubt giving it a strive! Head fair down the freeway to Gonghwachun for a terrific, warm bowl of noodles. This isn’t the long-established restaurant, however the jjajangmyeong is 100% official and a must-strive must you’re in Incheon. Gonghwachun’s 4-memoir building offers seating alongside the balcony so you are going to be ready to skills substantial views of Chinatown one day of your meal.
Flavors of Jeonju
Jeonju is one of many culture and meals capitals of South Korea! In 2012 it changed into designated as a member UNESCO’s Inventive Cities Community for Jeonju’s gastronomic contributions to the country! Inventive cities are identified as areas the assign creativity and the humanities are regarded as main components contributing town’s economic pattern concept.
Bibimbap (비빔밥) in Jeonju
Bibimbap is one of potentially the most well-known Korean dishes identified world huge! Starting with snide of warm white rice, sauteed vegetables, kimchi, gochujang and in total egg and/or meat are then placed on top. When served every ingredient is separated, reminding me of a successful Trivial Pursuit sport piece. Nonetheless, makes certain it mix it up before you skills! There are a number of forms of bibimbap, and town of Jeonju is identified for this signature dish.
Jeonju Bibimbap is made the expend of rice cooked with bean sprouts and red meat broth. (yuuuummmmm) In Jeonju your rice will doubtless be topped with a rainbow of gear including carrots, seaweed, bean sprouts, red pepper paste, red meat and spinach.
The origins of bibimbap are debated, however it with out a doubt is recorded to were eaten on the royal court one day of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty. The Yi clan, founders of the Joseon Dynasty, impress their roots to Jeonju, increasing the hyperlink between this in trend Korean dish and town.
The assign to Exercise Bibimbap in Jeonju – Jungang Hoegwan
For official Jeonju Bibimbap, head to Jungang Hoegwan! Nearly even extra spectacular than the main dish itself, is the array of banchan that precedes the main dish! (Don’t be at a loss for phrases, there may per chance be a separate restaurant named “Jeonju Jungang Hoegwan in Seoul that is amazingly in trend.)
Address: 78-1 Jungangdong 3(sam)-ga, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-enact, South Korea
Learn to Fetch Bibimbap in a Cooking Class!
If you’re as occupied with bibimbap as I am, take a cooking class and learn to develop it yourself! We joined a class in Seoul with Ok-cookingclass, and it changed into a astonishing skills! Our class started with a local market tour the assign we were launched to native vegetables and fruit. We then learned to develop a few dishes including pajeon and bibimbap. The class is amazingly fingers on, and Chris the teacher truly took time to answer to all of our questions and allotment insight into both Korean history and standard Korean culture. Classes are capped at 6 folks, so it truly is an individualized skills!
You would possibly even learn to read and and write ‘bibimbap’ in Korean characters on the National Hangeul Museum in Seoul. (I extremely suggest visiting!)
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Kongnamul Gukbap (콩나물국밥) – Bean Sprout & Rice Soup at Hyundai-ok in Nambu Market
If you’re visiting Jeonju, concept time to trail to Nambu market for a bowl of steaming bean sprout & rice soup at Hyundai-ok. It is nestled among the winding corridors of vendors selling all the pieces from vegetables and fruit to dwelling items, clothing and extra. It’ll fair take somewhat of looking out to search out, however a warm, steaming bowl of kongnamul gukbap is worth it! Hyundai-ok is start from 6 am to 2 pm (as of July 2018), however quiz about hours before heading there. We went for breakfast, and it changed into substantial!
Flavorful broth filled with bean sprouts and rice, this soup’s flavor is enhanced with scallions, chilis and garlic! You will truly see the substances being freshly chopped fair exact in entrance of you. Add somewhat of kimchi and seaweed for extra flavor! At Nambo Market, Hyundai-ok makes their kongnamul gukbap by adding chilled rice and bean sprouts exact into a pot after which ladling the cooked broth on top. This helps to dangle the feel of the rice and the crispness of the bean sprouts since these substances are now no longer sitting within the broth because it boils.
If you’re partial to seafood, strive to the squid fluctuate.
If you’re in Jeonju on a Friday or Saturday night, head to Nambu’s Night Market! Fetch pleasure from oldschool freeway meals, standard snacks from world huge, art and cultural performances and extra.
More of our well-liked meals from for the duration of South Korea!
Reckoning on our itinerary, you would possibly maybe well per chance bring together most of the meals shared in this put up for the duration of South Korea. Listed right here are a few extra of our favorites from our 2-week adventure.
Seaweed Soup at Obok Miyeok (오복미역)
A meal at Obok Miyeok is warm and fresh. Flavorful and comforting. And, fair uncomplicated sparkling. Obok Miyeok specializes in bowls of steaming seaweed soup loaded with a fluctuate of seafood alternate choices. Resolve on between abalone, flounder, shellfish or even red meat. The broth is a tiny salty, and each chew is packed with flavor. This changed into potentially the most attention-grabbing meal to sluggish down and relax after every week of sightseeing. If you’re current to traveling in South Korea, don’t put out of your mind that your meal will approach with banchan, or an array of tiny side dishes. The crunchy spice of kimchi and the frigid, vinegary cucumbers are a ideal compliment to Obok Miyeok’s bowls of steaming soup.
Korean Fried Rooster
Recurrently fried twice, Korean Fried Rooster is the crispiest, most flavorful model of this dish that you would possibly maybe well per chance bring together! If you bask in to hope to skills it bask in a local, personal your basket of fried rooster with a side of shut pals and a spherical of beer! Kick it up a notch, and trail alongside with Yangnyeom-chikin, (양념 치킨), rooster coated with a candy and arresting gochujang-basically based fully sauce. Servings of fried rooster are meant to be shared! My spouse & I every ordered our personal basket, and there changed into a sufficient rooster to feed us for our entire 2-week day trail back and forth.
Transient History of Korean Fried Rooster
Fried rooster is a truly in trend (and delectable!) dish in South Korea this day, however its history is much extra latest than most of the a number of dishes in this put up. Fried rooster changed into launched on the Korean peninsula by American troops stationed there one day of the Korean War. The first domestic fried rooster shop didn’t start unless 1977 – Lim’s Rooster1. Over the previous 50 years Korean Fried Rooster has developed into its personal dish – one that you shouldn’t omit!
1.Herald, T. (2016, Would possibly maybe per chance 27). History of Korean-trend fried rooster. Retrieved August 23, 2020, from http://www.koreaherald.com/locate.php?ud=20160527000733
Tteokbokki (떡볶이) – Soft, Keen Rice Truffles in Gochujang
Tteokbokki changed into my well-liked meals in South Korea, and it’s miles a must-strive for anybody visiting the country. Tteokbokki is a Korean staple: comfy rice cakes simmered in a saucy mixture of gochujang paste (Korean red pepper paste that is arresting, candy and tangy all-in-one), inexperienced onions, dried anchovies, kelp and fair a tiny sugar. You’ll in total bring together exhausting boiled egg to boot alongside the rice cakes. Usually I wake up from dreaming about eating never-ending servings of tteokbokki. Warm, arresting delectable-ness most attention-grabbing loved whereas walking alongside the streets of South Korea.
Dookki 두끼떡볶이 – South Korea’s Tteokbokki Buffet
Prefer extra tteokbokki? Investigate cross-take a look at South Korea’s tteokbokki buffet chain Dookki 두끼떡볶이! All you are going to be ready to luxuriate in rice cakes, fish cakes and veggies with a fluctuate of sauces you are going to be ready to make a choice between. Each and each body or couple makes their personal sauce fair exact on the table in a sizzling-pot trend. Accomplish your personal ideal arresting / candy stability! Dookki is a franchise mannequin, and there are areas for the duration of South Korea and in a foreign country! If you search in English, you’re most liable to search out the areas in Singapore or Vietnam. Search the expend of the hanguel characters to search out a Dookki location shut to you in Busan.
Hotteok (호떡)
Sweet, warm & fried. mmmhhmmm. Hotteok is every other Korean freeway meals you are going to want to take a stare upon! A fried wheat dough pancake filled with spices, brown sugar, peanuts and/or sesame seeds, hotteok is maybe the most attention-grabbing address for a winter trail to to South Korea. Though, I can mumble you from skills that furthermore it’s miles a ideal address any time of year! If you’re trying to search out a stress-free souvenir, you are going to be ready to aquire pre-made hotteok batter mix. Try making your personal model of hotteok at dwelling.
Bungeoppang & so many extra freeway meals to take a stare upon!
There are such a number of diverse delectable freeway meals snacks for the duration of South Korea fair eager for you to take a stare upon! Fun, fish-formed Bungeoppang (붕어빵) are a flour/egg/water basically based fully shell filled with a sweetened red bean paste. I potentially ate about 10 of them over 2 weeks. Bungeoppang paired well with a side of Pokémon Flow. (The meals in South Korea changed into awesome, however taking pictures Farfetch’d changed into somewhat substantial, too.)
Inexperienced Tea Ice Cream
at Daehan Dawon Inexperienced Tea Plantations
If you’re a tea drinker or a foodie, you are going to love visiting Daehan Dawon Inexperienced Tea Plantation in Boseong. Rolling hills lined in rows of tea, must you trail to Daehan Dawon you are going to be ready to stroll by and revel in the vegetation up-shut. The most attention-grabbing part: You will skills a fluctuate of inexperienced tea-infused treats whereas doing so! This changed into one of our well-liked locations in South Korea, and we didn’t retain lend a hand. We tried to the inexperienced tea noodles, matcha latte, inexperienced tea ice cream shake, and our well-liked – the inexperienced tea comfy attend ice cream! The ice cream changed into tasty, however the genuine novelty changed into studying extra referring to the system of increasing tea and the tea industry in South Korea.
Tea Museum of Korea
Positioned subsequent to Daehon Dawon Tea Plantation is the Tea Museum of Korea. Definitely manufacture in time for a trail to. Overview the history of tea production and particularly the memoir within the lend a hand of Daehon Dawon. The museum also has exhibitions on tea cultivation and the history and cultural significance of tea and tea ceremonies.
Tip: About a of the shows on the Tea Museum are handiest in Korean. I extremely suggest the Google Translate app due to you are going to be ready to take a mumble of the repeat, and it this would maybe well translate textual state material within the image. It is miles now no longer ideal, however it with out a doubt does a real job.
I suggest spending an overnight in Boseong. It is becoming a extra in trend destination for global vacationers, however it with out a doubt is peaceable potentially the most attention-grabbing off-the-beaten-course destination. We stayed at Nokcha Resort fair exact subsequent to Daehon Dawon and the Tea Museum. Since the first day changed into rainy we were ready to make a choice in, trail to the Tea Museum after which head to a nearby Korean spa at Yulpo Sea high-tail.
We traveled to Boseong on the final public bus from Busan after which headed to Jeonju afterwards. Hiring a driver would be sooner, however the bus changed into easy sufficient to navigate.
Instagrammable Truffles
You would possibly even be assured that there are now no longer any scarcity of Instagrammable dessert alternate choices for the duration of South Korea! From tiny, boutique bakeries to huge retail areas, your Instagram feed is set to bring together infinitely cuter. Include the kitsch, and you’ll personal a truly stress-free time exploring South Korea’s standard dessert scene. The flavor is now no longer continuously award-successful, however they certain are beautiful!
KAKAO FRIENDS Flagship Store – Ryan Cafe
KAKAO FRIENDS, originated from the Kakao Maps app, are a caricature sensation for the duration of South Korea. With a solid of a couple dozen ‘pals’, on the flagship store in Seoul you would possibly maybe well per chance bring together any fluctuate of KAKAO FRIENDS merchandise you would possibly maybe well per chance agree with. This even includes, cupcakes and cookies! Who can resist a cupcake that appears to be like bask in Ryan, the maneless lion? If you bask in to personal extra personality-impressed baked items, head to the LINE FRIENDS Cafe & Store in Seoul, too.
Seoul is stuffed with tiny, boutique bakeries serving cakes which are so beautifully crafted you even feel responsible eating them. One other well-liked from our day trail back and forth changed into this rainbow cake carve from DORE DORE (도레도레) in Gangnam.
Prepackaged Snacks!
Invent you allotment my love of exploring comfort stores and supermarkets in current international locations?! Listed right here are a few of my well-liked South Korean snacks to preserve your eyes out for on the following trail to!
You will bring together all of those snacks in comfort stores and supermarkets for the duration of the country. There are such a number of stress-free merchandise to take a stare upon!
Goofy Bonus: Kimchi Fried Rice at IKEA
If you’re partial to IKEA, you’ll be amused to know that meal alternate choices in South Korea embrace a local well-liked: Kimchi Fried Rice. My spouse & I headed to the outskirts of Seoul to take a stare upon it out for ourselves. The kimchi fried rice isn’t successful a neighborhood in my heart bask in IKEA’s Swedish meatballs, however it with out a doubt changed into a silly, memorable skills none-the-much less. Additionally, there were some frigid untrue vegetation that we hadn’t seen before within the U.S. If you with out a doubt are seeking to residing off a scene and develop an enemy on the airport, put some untrue vegetation to your lift-on baggage… ::face palm::.
Thanks for becoming a member of for this foodie adventure by potentially the most attention-grabbing meals in South Korea! Reach out for any advice or extra recommendations as you intend your upcoming trail to. Or, must you are going to personal a number of must-strive recommendations for meals to take a stare upon when in South Korea, allow us to know within the feedback!
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