All snacks are not created equally – this list encompasses a wide variety of treats, and you’re bound to have a favorite. In South Korea you are never far from delicious street eats to satisfy a kimchi craving. This has resulted in a vibrant culture surrounding Korean street food that is not just delicious and pocket-friendly but is also healthy. If you need some quick protein and carbs, egg bread is an efficient way to do it! Korean spicy is definitely more intense than your everyday spicy, so tread lightly! Korea’s popular food culture cannot only be found in restaurants, but also in the small street food stalls that open up in the evening, where you can get vegetables, fruits, meat, sweets as well as fish and seafood. ©2018 Inspire Me Korea . Of course, city authorities have always … Sundae, Korea’s unique take on the blood sausage phenomenon, is a dish that smells and tastes better than it looks. Read More On The Inspire Me Korea Blog. Sounds like a win/win situation to me! - 190 pages A variety of filled Korean pancake, and is a popular street food of South Korea. Crisp and very sweet, sugar lollipops are made from sugar that has been caramelized with a tiny bit of baking soda added to it. This one almost doesn’t need an explanation – who doesn’t love ice cream or waffles? If all roads in Korea lead to Seoul, few roads in Seoul can compare with the bustling hive that is known as Insadong. Cancel anytime. ©Tteokbokki, 07.07.2018, inspiremekorea, inspiremekorea.com, ©Gimbap, 07.07.2018, inspiremekorea, inspiremekorea.com. Snail and broken rice are staples of Ho Chi Minh City's outdoorsy street food culture, which has been shaped by both history and family memory. Various seasonal sauces also demonstrate the skills of Korean people in fermented food. This dish, like fried snacks, is also pretty self-explanatory. Sundae uses a variety of body parts from both pigs and cows to create an unbeatable, complex dish that’s easy to scarf down. Kkul-tarae: Composed of fine strands of honey and maltose, often with a sweet nut filling. Calling all cars – this is NOT a drill! 17. Asian fusion options include pork cheese fries and Japanese-style dishes, such as omurice (fried rice topped with egg and ketchup) and, as previously mentioned, katsu (panko-breaded, deep-fried pork, fish or chicken served with rice and cabbage salad.) Korea is well-known for too many things to count – music, television, and a rich, interesting history are only a few of the things that make Korean culture so unlike any other. Traditional Korean street food options include braised pork trotters and chicken feet. ©Food Stall, 07.07.2018, inspiremekorea, inspiremekorea.com. Get ‘em while they’re hot! The Korean subscription box: ---- Some foods included are fishcakes on a stick (어묵), egg muffins (계란빵), Korean style toasted sandwiches (토스트), spicy rice cakes (떡볶이), Korean fried chicken Hotteok is a dessert dish that involves griddle cakes fried on a hot plate stuffed with a variety of sweet additions including different types of sugar, fruits, and syrups. Please tell us about your favorite Korean street food in the comments below! You can definitely make a meal of eating various types of street food! Koreans don’t mess around when it comes to street food in general, but they REALLY don’t mess around when it comes to ice cream. Unlike cities in Southeast Asia, Seoul is not the cheapest city to have street food. To give some understanding of how South-Korea developed such a rich food culture we will look at the history of one of the most famous side-dishes in South-Korea’s: Kimchi. Grab a cup the next time you come across a vendor serving bundaeggi – think of the story you’ll be able to tell your friends! Of course, you can always take its basis that all cultures do street or road peddling as a form of goods exchange. Despite sounding (and looking) not as enticing as the rest of the dishes on this list, this snack is surprisingly popular and can be found throughout most Korean cities. It shows us what foods are most common such as seafood and rice, their history, and how their foods have changed over the course of history. 16. Packed with protein (both beans and walnuts), walnut cakes are a Korean favorite that you can feel good about munching on. Yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like! A Blog Dedicated To Everything On Korean Culture: Food, Beauty, K-Pop, Recipes, History, Culture, Language And More! The Korean street foods are mostly being served via movable carts or temporary structure that can support cooking space, a limited serving space, and plastic chairs. Traditionally street food was only seen at markets or on crowded streets, but it is now more widespread. Since the foundation of the city, street vendors have played a relevant role in how New Yorkers purchase, consume, and think of their food. Since then, street food stalls have been the heart and soul of Korea’s food culture, and despite certain opposition, food stalls still continue to flourish – preserving important fragments of Korean history. When I study traditional Korean food culture, I feel the depth of Korean culture. It’s common to see street stalls selling foreign foods in the areas with a dense tourist population, such as Itaewon, Dongdaemun, Myeong-dong, Jongno and the ever-popular university streets – vendors in these busy areas will constantly update their menus according to the latest food trends, which usually include famous Japanese dishes like takoyaki and sashimi. Does the fact that the larva are boiled with sugar and soy make it sound more appealing? Korean street food and other forms of street vending began since the Joseon Dynasty period. More about Korean Street Food…. Korean street food vendors are well aware of this phenomenon, and as a result they offer a variety of flash fried vegetables and dumplings to satisfy your craving for flaky, fried goodness. Of all the foods the market is famous for, mayak kimbap has to be the crowd favorite. Varieties with ingredients other than red beans are called bingsu. Before the 1960‘s, most of the food sold at street stalls were jinppang (찐빵), steamed bread filled with red-bean paste, and  hoppang (호빵), steamed buns that could be filled with vegetables or meats. What’s Going On This Month? Grab some hotteok the next time you’re craving something sweet – these are especially sweet when the weather gets cooler! Give it a try with ketchup and mustard for the full effect. Similar to French fries but having the shape of a “tornado”, the potato slice is much thinner and crunchier. Pick up some cotton candy the next time you want a taste of childhood and a delicious treat at the same time – you’ll be glad you did. As these sauces are made of soy bean, they are very nutritious. Korean Traditional food 2. But not all sauces are aged this long like kanjang. The term “street food” means “food that is sold from the side of the road.” It’s cheap, it gets done fast, and while it’s simple, it’s also surprisingly filling. Koreans' food is a defining element of their culture for several reasons. The 1990‘s saw the introduction of Belgian waffles, churros, kebabs, hotdogs and other international foods to Korean street stalls and, as the years have gone by, the vendor’s menus have gotten more and more diverse – nowadays you can even find hybrid snacks such as gamja-hotdogs, which are literally sausages wrapped in deep-fried potato! In Korean street food culture, however, tokkebi is a hot dog, skewered and wrapped in French Fries, deep fried in sesame oil. The Inspire Me Korea Blog: Pushcarts have always provided the first access to entrepreneurship to newcomers and immigrants who started by peddling to their own communities and then expanding their business beyond their own enclaves. Email: info@inspiremekorea.com. Embrace your S E O U L. DISCOVER KOREA IN A NEW WAY This dish is an age-old crowd-pleaser and is loved by people of all ages. Try it out the next time you’re looking for a snack and find a new appreciation for rice cakes. Image source: http://taliasfootsteps.wordpress.com. About Korean Street Food. This Korean street food favorite pairs two of the best foods on earth and marries them into one delicious, easy to eat snack that you can eat on the go. Book-dealer by day, writer and illustrator by night—Instagram: @kikitsa.draws. Pick up a potato covered hot dog the next time you want to kill two birds with one stone (and have a great time doing it). Required fields are marked *. Many Japanese cities don't have much street food at all. It is cheap and delicious too! Think of goldfish bread, or bungeoppang in Korean, as delicious waffle-like bread filled with red bean deliciousness. But street food menus aren’t limited to only savoury dishes, they also serve popular desserts which include;  hotteok (호떡 – deep fried Korean pancakes), bingsu (빙수 – shaved ice) and the infamous bungeoppang (붕어빵 – fried ‘carp bread’ with red-bean filling). And some of our favourite, unmentioned, street food meals include; matang (마탕 – potatoes in a sweet glazed sauce), pajeon (파전 – savoury pancakes) and mandu (만두 – Korean dumplings). Give it a try the next time you’re wandering through Seoul! What you won’t find at home, however, is the fun contest sugar lollipop vendors usually participate in – if you can bite all around the stars, hearts, and other shapes usually placed in the center of the lollipop without cracking the candy itself, you get another one for free! « What’s Going On This Month? Insadong is known as ‘the traditional’ street in Seoul where Koreans and foreigners converge on mass to sample a slice of traditional Korean music, performances, culture, street food, antiques, arts, crafts, restaurants & trendy cafes. There’s no shortage of rice cakes on the Korean street food scene – this popular snack, for instance, is simply grilled rice cakes served on a skewer. ©Food Stall, 07.07.2018, inspiremejorea, inspiremekorea.com, Feature Image Source: ©Photo by Ian Valerio on Unsplash, 28.08.2018, unsplash.com. ©Eomuk, 07.07.2018, inspiremekorea, inspiremekorea.com. Don’t knock it before you try it! Credit: best korean street food blog. Fast forward to 1953, after the Korean War, street vendors once again made a large impact on low-income inhabitants by feeding the influx of starving refugees – whose survival relied heavily on these food stalls. If you’re a squid lover, look no further – this deep fried squid snack is the snack for you! Korean cotton candy is often shaped in super fun shapes, too – you’ll find cotton candy shaped like flowers and animals just as often as you’ll find traditional, shapeless cotton candy. If you’re in search of an ice cream cone this summer, there is no better place to satisfy your craving than a Korean street food cart. Embrace Your Seoul. Korean food tends to err on the spicier side so look before you bite. But despite this opposition (most of which come from other street vendors), many pojangmacha owners have been left alone, permit or not, to serve what they wish, where they wish – allowing Korea’s long street food tradition to live on into the modern world! If candy is more your style than baked goods or ice cream, Korean sugar lollipops are street food that are right up your alley. 5 Korean Foods That Will Make You Feel Strong Like A Superhero! Korean Street Food | Street Food in Seoul | Gwangjang MarketSo PUMPED to be in Seoul, South Korea for a MASSIVE Street Food tour! Spicy rice cake is extremely famous and common in Korea, and can be identified by its eye-popping red color and typical burning taste of chili. We show you a unique and magical Korea - fun facts, K-food guides, quizzes and even a language section! Soaring high above Jeju with stunning views at standard, Pocha is the place to be for lively eats, drinks and atmosphere, with an extensive menu of Jeju's best craft beers paired with craving-sating comfort foods. This popular dish is fried fish paste, served on a chopstick for easy access. I couldn’t bring myself to try these, but a handful of other people on our street food tour did and said that they were actually good. Traditionally a Japanese dish, these addictive skewered fish cakes made their way to Korea in 1876 and began in the port of Busan – some say the fish cakes found in Busan are the best in the country! Best served steaming hot, hotba is a great salty snack that has a kick to it. You can get sweet and savoury things. National Folk Museum of Korea shows how exchanges between Korea and Japan shaped their food culture By 이우영 Published : Dec 10, 2015 - 18:06 Updated : Dec 10, 2015 - 18:16 In the 70‘s, since wheat, flour, sugar and oil, which are the main ingredients for street food, became more widely available, snacks such as tteokbokki (떡볶이), spicy rice cakes, gimbap (김밥), and seaweed rice rolls began appearing at vendor stalls. The number of pojangmacha in Seoul has recently declined, due to people claiming the establishments are unsanitary and illegal, since many vendors operate without permits. There are also a ton of different variations of bungeoppang that make this snack even more fun and exciting – for example, you’ll see versions of this snack filled with ice cream and chocolate syrup, taking the sweetness factor to the next level. Most cup chicken is mixed with fried tater tots, as well – talk about a fried food experience! Credit: best korean street food blog. In some regions dedicated street food streets have been built. These traditional snacks could easily be called ‘the ancestors of Korean street food’, since they were passed down to Korea from Japan during the early 1900’s. This snack is literally a hot dog cooked to perfection and then covered in crispy, golden potatoes. Tunes will be ranging from deep house to K pop. Sounds easy enough to make at home, right? Choose from K-CULTURE, BTS, K-BEAUTY AND K-SNACK BOXES! Tteokbokki – Spicy rice cake Korean street food Tteokbokki spicy rice cake. South Korea is especially known for its street food; a quaint culture of great eats. Any type of hunger can be satiated at this lively fest, sit down for a larger portion or snack the night away. Some have a jar for money, but with most you pay the cook directly. Historical Background. Give it a try, and be sure to tell us about your experience in the comments below! KOREAN BBQ. You can’t get more Korean than a street food dish that combines kimchi and fried rice for your snacking pleasure. Your email address will not be published. The tradition of Korean street food stalls dates back over six hundred years, to the time of the Joseon Dynasty, where vendors would sell their food at the neighbourhood markets. These ancient vendors formed for themselves a base of economic activity, which helped those in the lower classes considerably . For example, I now know that tteokbokki was eaten during the Joseon Dynasty and the spicy sauce that you find tteokbokki in on the streets today was actually derived from the Japanese. Traditionally a Japanese dish, these addictive skewered fish cakes made their way to Korea in 1876 and began in the port of Busan – some say the fish cakes found in Busan are the best in the country! Korean are obsessed with cheese so of course there are skewers of rice cake with cheese and then grilled. 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