Korean cuisine Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Korean cuisine can be found in North Korea, South Korea and Northeast China as well as with the Korean diaspora around the world.

Korean cuisine often is based on rice and noodles in common with Chinese cuisine and Japanese cuisine, although indigenous ingredients such as fermented spicy cabbage (kimchi — 김치), rice cakes (떡 'duk') and various fermented bean sauces produce many dishes quite distinct from typical Japanese and Chinese cuisine.

Regional variations and specialities inside Korea do certainly exist, although typically 'the basics' can be found everywhere.

Many may consider Korean marinated barbecue meat of beef, pork and chicken to be the canonical Korean food. In fact, visits to these restaurants are typically reserved for special occasions. You typically visit in a large group and order large amounts of raw meat which you cut yourself with large scissors and cook yourself on a gas (or charcoal) cookers in the middle of the table. When cooked, the meat should be dipped in chilli sauce and wrapped in lettuce or perilla leaves. A high strength air vent is positioned above the cooker to avoid too much smoke landing on you.

A good amount of food in South Korea has also been inspired by American cuisine such as spicy twice-fried chicken (양념 치킨), which is actually more crispy and has less oil than its American counterpart. It is served generally with either plain or with a very sticky sweet marinade (or combination of both).

Soondae (순대) is a black sausage made from blood and glass noodles and wrapped in intestines (and very much not the western ice-cream dessert with the same spelling). Very much lacking in any flavor by itself, but combined with chilli makes for a delicious experience. Available by itself with chilli-salt, or in hot pots. Sokcho has a variety made completely from squid.

Soups are known as guk (국) or tang (탕), while jjigae (찌개) covers a wide variety of stews. The line is fuzzy, and a few dishes can be referred to with both (e.g. the fish soup-stew dongtae jjigae/dongtaetang), but in general, jjigae are spicier and thicker while guk/tang are milder. Both are always eaten with plenty of white rice on the side.

Common versions of jjigae include doenjang jjigae (된장찌개), made with doenjang, vegetables and shellfish, and gimchi jjigae (김치찌개), made with — you guessed it — kimchi. Sundubu jjigae (순두부찌개) uses soft tofu as the main ingredient, usually with minced pork added, but there's also a seafood version called haemul sundubu jjigae (해물 순두부찌개) where the meat is replaced by shrimp, squid and the like.

Budae jjigae (부대찌개) is an interesting type of Korean fusion food from the city of Uijeongbu, where a U.S. military base is located. During the Korean War, the then-impoverished locals put together a dish using scraps from the American bases such as spam, sausages, and pork and beans, and while recipes vary, most of them involve large quantities of fiery kimchi. Most places will bring you a big pan of stew and put it on a gas stove in the middle of the table. Many like to put ramyeon noodles (라면 사리) in the stew, which is optional.

Popular tang soups include seolleongtang (설렁탕), a milky white broth from ox bones and meat, gamjatang (감자탕), a stew of potatoes with pork spine and chilies, and doganitang (도가니탕), made from cow knees. One soup worth a special mention is samgyetang (삼계탕), which is a whole spring chicken stuffed with ginseng and rice. Thanks to the ginseng, it's often a little expensive, but the taste is quite mild. It's commonly eaten right before the hottest part of summer in warm broth in a sort of "eat the heat to beat the heat" tradition.

Guk are mostly side dishes like the seaweed soup miyeokguk (미역국) and the dumpling soup manduguk (만두국), but a few like the scary-looking pork spine and ox blood soup haejangguk (해장국), a popular hangover remedy, are substantial enough to be a meal.

Korean cuisine features a vast variety of types, including

• Naengmyeon (냉면 in South Korea) or Raengmyeon (랭면 in North Korea and Yanbian) are a Korean specialty, originally from the north. The thin, chewy buckwheat noodles served in ice-cold beef broth are a popular summer dish — although it's traditionally a winter food! They're also a classic way to end a heavy, meaty barbecue meal. The key to the dish is the broth (육수 yuksu); the recipes of well known restaurants are usually closely guarded secrets. Generally comes in two distinct styles: Pyongyang mul naengmyeon with a clear broth, and Hamhung bibim naengmyeon with a spicy dressing and chewier potato noodles.
• Japchae (잡채), literally "mixed vegetables", are yam noodles fried along with some vegetables (commonly cabbage, carrots, onions) and sometimes beef or odeng (fishcake).
• Ramyeon (라면) is Korea's variant of ramen, often served with — what else? — kimchi. Korean ramyeon is well known for its overall spiciness, at least when compared to Japanese ramen. The Shin Ramyun brand of instant noodles are exported to over 100 countries.
• Jajangmyeon (자장면) is considered to be Chinese food by Koreans, tracing its origins to immigrants from China's Shandong province, who derived it from the northern Chinese dish zhájiàngmiàn. It is a wheat noodle dish served with a black sauce that usually includes minced pork, onions, cucumber, and garlic, and is typically served at (what are liberally described as) Chinese restaurants. Its sauce contains some caramel and therefore makes the overall dish sweet. A popular combination is jajangmyeon with "Chinese" sweet and sour pork and chicken.
• Jjamppong (짬뽕) is a "Chinese" noodle dish comprising of noodles in a red spicy pork or seafood broth, originally derived from the Shandong dish chǎomǎmiàn. Often served with jajangmeyon in a special bowl split down the middle, this combination is known as jjamjjamyeon (짬짜면).
• Finally, udong (우동) are thick wheat noodles, akin to Japanese udon.

Koreans often snack on kimbap (김밥, the name is a portmanteau of "seaweed" and "rice") which looks like large pieces of Japanese sushi but is usually filled with pickled vegetables, fish cake, sesame oil and sometimes cooked meat. It is always wrapped in dry seaweed.

Mandu (만두) dumplings, which are similar to Chinese jiaozi, are also very popular and are served up in steamed or fried as an accompaniment to other foods, or boiled in soup to make a whole meal.

Korea has many dog and whale meat restaurants. These are almost never targeted at foreigners, so you will have to ask your local contacts to take you if you so wish. The legal status of these restaurants is ambiguous, although you are not likely to get into trouble by visiting one. The provenance of the meat will certainly not be that of high welfare, and high levels of toxins in whale (and dolphin) meat can be considered dangerous to consume.

Yes, it's true — Koreans eat dog, although the practice has been in decline since the 1990s. Dog meat soup (보신탕 bosintang or 영양탕 yeongyangtang) is eaten for "invigoration" during the hottest days of summer. It is not regularly consumed as a common food item and is generally only sold in specialty dog restaurants, so you're unlikely to end up chewing on Snoopy by accident. It is most commonly consumed as a spicy soup or stew or as suyuk (수육), which is just meat boiled with spices to eliminate smell and make the meat tender.

South Koreans are aware of Western attitudes towards dogs and are unlikely to try it out with you. You could gain a lot of respect from your Korean friends if you give it a try, although younger Koreans you encounter most likely share Western attitudes towards dogs these days and it can easily go the other way. If you are interested, it is best to ask your Korean friends to take you to such a restaurant since they rarely advertise. If you do make the effort, a bowl can go for under ₩10,000 and you'll find that dog tastes broadly like beef or veal, if perhaps a tad gamier.

Most South Koreans do not eat dog meat regularly and these days more of them are considering dogs to be pets rather than food. A new law passed in 2024 aims to eliminate the dog meat trade entirely by 2027, with jail time for butchering dogs or selling dog meat. Merely eating dog, however, will not be a crime, and the tradition is unlikely to disappear overnight.

Soju (소주) is a clear, distilled beverage made from rice, wheat or barley (or sometimes sweet potato or other root vegetables) that is the most popular alcoholic drink in Korea. Has some similarities to vodka but is not as strong and has a touch of sweetness.

Tea (차) is widely drunk, as elsewhere in East Asia. There's a range of Korean teas, for example

• Insam cha is tea made from the roots of the ginseng plant
• Bori cha is a roasted barley infusion tea
• Sejak cha is one of the highest quality green teas in Korea

38°19′0″N 127°14′0″E

Map of Korean cuisine

The following destinations may be of interest for authentic regional dishes. Many of these are also available in some form in specialized restaurants in South Korean cities (and to a somewhat lesser extent Korean restaurants around the world).

• Naengmyeon (S) / Raengmyeon (N) (냉면 / 랭면). This ice cold noodle dish originates in the North Korean cities of 39.019444125.7380561 Pyongyang and 39.9125127.5355562 Hamhung, with each city having its own distinctive style. A famous restaurant called Okryugwan (옥류관) in the North Korean capital is one place there that serves this. In South Korea, the city of 35.2128.0833333 Jinju also has a famous version (and somewhat easier to visit). In China, a famous variant of the dish is made by the ethnic Korean community in 42.9129.54 Yanji. (updated Oct 2018)

• 38.206128.595 Squid Sundae (오징어 순대). A local variation of squid sausage is found in Sokcho, along with an annual Squid Festival. (updated Oct 2018)

• 35.85129.21676 Hwangnam-ppang (황남빵, 경주빵). Famous pastry from Gyeongju, baked and filled with a slightly sweet red bean paste. It is customary to visit the historical sights of the city, and then buy a box of these on the way home. (updated Oct 2018)

• 35.096129.037 Jagalchi Fish Market (자갈치시장). Busan is South Korea's main seaport, and that is reflected in the large amount of seafood traded here. You can easily spend a day here both looking through the market and then eating at the many restaurants around it. The market opens very early in the morning, so a spicy dish at 5AM in the morning can be the perfect end to a hard night out. (updated Oct 2018)

• 35.265256129.20598 Gijang Crab Market (부산 기장시장). Somewhat off the beaten track outside Busan, this is nevertheless a top regional destination for crab specialities. Large and small crabs, cooked and raw (marinated in soy sauce) available. (updated Oct 2018)

• 37.5130.86679 Honghap Jjim - Mussel stew (홍합찜). It takes a while to get to the island of Ulleungdo, east of the Korean mainland, but there are many unique Korean foods to be found here including this spicy mussel stew. (updated Oct 2018)

• 37.748611127.03888910 Uijeongbu. Known for budae jjigae, literally "military unit stew", a dish made of sausage, spam, instant noodles, kimchi and other ingredients. The dish traces its origin to the U.S. military presence in South Korea during the Korean War, when the then-impoverished Koreans put together a dish from the scraps that were thrown out by the American soldiers, but also combining them with some cheap and widely-available traditional Korean ingredients. (updated Jan 2023)

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