Twelve Things to Eat in South Korea
As well as being shopping mecca, South Korea is truly a foodies paradise. Whether it’s sweet or savoury, spicy or mild, fancy or a cheap eat South Korea has so many delicious dishes and snacks to try you could possibly just spend months eating your way from one side of the country to another. However, if you only have a week or two to explore here are the twelve things you must eat in South Korea.
Bibimbap
Bibimbap or ‘mixed rice’ in English refers to a bowl of white rice and a mixture of vegetables and maybe meat topped with gochujang a spicy chilli paste and egg. Although there are a variety of versions to try the two most famous are arguably dolsot bibimbap, served in a hot stone pot with a raw egg, and Jeonju bibimbap which has no cooked ingredients except the rice. Grandma Yu’s Bibimbap located in Seoul’s historical centre arguably has the best Jeonju bibimbap outside of Jeonju and well worth a visit after shopping at Myeongdong.
2. Chicken and Beer
Fried chicken might be something fairly simple and mostly universal but the double-fried super crispy chicken you find in South Korea is arguably the best in the world. Available plain or with a variety of dry and wet flavourings like snow cheese and soy garlic it’s near impossible to find a flavour you won’t like. Combined with a light beer and maybe a bottle or two of Soju it would be a shame to leave South Korea without trying it.
3. Naengmyeon
Cold noodle soup might sound a little weird to people with Western flavour palates but there is something super refreshing about cold, chewy noodles bathed in spicy or mild sauce and served with cucumber, pickled radish, Korean pear, a boiled egg and sometimes thinly sliced meat. There are two types of Naengmyeon to keep your eye out for: the spicy and more common South Korean version bibim naengmyeon and the milder, sweeter version Mul naengmyeon which originates from Pyongyang the current capital of North Korea.
4. Samgyetang
Similar to Jewish chicken noodle soup, Samgyetang or ginseng chicken soup is often said to be a health food of sorts. Featuring a whole small chicken stuffed with herbs, spices and rice this soup is meant to be good for energy, strength and vitality. While you can have samgyetang anytime you want it is supposedly meant to be the most beneficial during the hottest of summer days and following the Korean concept of fighting heat with heat meant to also cool you down.
5. Tteokbokki
One of the most popular and well-known Korean street food dishes, these dense and chewy rice cakes covered in spicy gochujang sauce are pretty much the perfect snack. Often served with finely sliced fish cakes, Tteokbokki can be found at every single street food market across the country.
6. Sundae (Soondae)
Not to be confused with an ice-cream sundae, this blood sausage is a classic Korean dish might not be faint-hearted but if you are willing to give a try you won’t regret it.
7. Hotteok
Similar to hotcake but stuffed Hotteok is a thick and chewy pancake made from yeasted dough which is stuffed with brown sugar, spices and a mixture of nuts before being fried on a grill. It may sound simple but the mixture of crunchy nuts, soft dough and hot melted brown sugar makes Hotteok one of Korea’s best street food snacks.
8. Japchae
A traditional Korean stir fry dish of vegetables, beef strips and sweet soy sauce which uses sweet potato noodles instead of regular flour-based noodles, Japchae is often found as a side dish but can also be enjoyed as a main. Chewy, sweet and salty Japchae is arguably the perfect stir fry.
9. Bulgogi
This marinated beef dish has existed in varying forms for around 1000 years and it’s easy to see why. Sweet but still very much savoury Bulgogi is available in everything from stir-fries to burgers and is delicious in basically any form.
10. Sundubu-jjigae
The king of all Korean soup stews, spicy sundubu-jjigae, or soft tofu stew, has hundreds of different varieties from purely vegetarian, to seafood-based to beef-based. Warming, filling and moreish, this stew is the perfect somewhat healthy meal especially combined with banchan, a variety of Korean side dishes.
11. Korean BBQ
Whether its pork belly (Samgyeopsal), beef ribs or just vegetables it’s near impossible to go to Korea and not try Korean BBQ. The grilled meat or vegetables are served with lettuce, perilla leaves, kimchi, onions and a mixture of soybean paste (doenjang) and gochujang called ssamjang sides which are used to wrap the meat into bite-sized wraps. Almost always accompanied by lots of beer and soju, Korean BBQ is communal dining at its best.
12. Hangover Stew
As the name suggests this rich and meaty soup is the perfect Sunday lunch after spending all night drinking beer and soju. Commonly made with napa cabbage and beef but also found with sundae and pork the hearty broth, vegetables and meat chunks is the perfect cure for any hangover and is also a tasty meal in itself.