Source: Searching for Seoul’s best street food - G Adventures
Korean winter is as an amazing experience to have and not to miss the tasty street food to keep the warmth along-with with the fascinating taste buds. It’s a travel sin to miss the food stalls on Korean streets, for anyone who loves non-vegetarian meal with tasty saucy touch and ample of veggies too. The stalls date 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. 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. 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.
©Street Food Timeline, 08.07.2018, inspiremekorea, inspiremekorea.com
1. Tteokbokki – 떡볶이 (Spicy Stir Fried Rice Cakes)
Teokbokki (떡볶이); or stir-fried rice cakes is a popular Korean food made from small-sized garae-tteok (long, white, cylinder-shaped rice cakes) called tteokmyeon (떡면; "rice cake noodles") or commonly tteokbokki-tteok (떡볶이 떡; "tteokbokki rice cakes").
Eomuk (fish cakes), boiled eggs, and scallions are some common ingredients paired with tteokbokki in dishes. It can be seasoned with either spicy gochujang (chili paste) or non- spicy ganjang (soy sauce)-based sauce; the former being the most common form, while the latter is less common and sometimes called gungjung-tteokbokki (royal court tteokbokki).
Tteokbokki is a blend of steamed and sliced rice cakes (tteok 떡), fish cakes (odeng 오뎅), and scallions in a sweet and spicy sauce with plenty of chili paste. Therefore, it’s perfect as a Korean winter food. Similar to these are modified fish cakes known as Odeng – 오뎅 (Fish Cake).
These fish cakes are one which to die for some fishy goodness. These cheap, delicious fish cakes on a stick can be found across South Korea. For example, in markets, festivals, convenience stores, train stations, and even at the top of mountains.
The fish cake is cut thickly and skewered on a wooden stick. It’s best eaten with a paper cup full of the soup it’s boiled in. You can feel the warmth returning to your body as you enjoy them both. This is one of the popular dish among the tourists.
Best restaurant to serve the meal:
1. Maboknim Wonjo Halmeonijip Ttokbokki (3.5/5)
Rating for restaurant #535 of 26,536 Restaurants in Seoul
Address : 292-112 Sindang 1-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul South Korea
Timings : 11:30 AM - 05:00 AM
2. Jakeun Gonggan
Ratings : 4.2/5
Review: Wanna Go
Address : 950-5, Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 서울특별시 강남구 남부순환로359길 31
Phone Number : 02-3462-3533
Cuisine : Other Korean
Price Range : Less than 10,000 Won
Parking : Free Parking
Business Hours : 11:00 - 20:50
Last order : 20:00
Price : Inexpensive street food 1,000 KWR per skewer
2. Dakbal – 닭발 (Super Spicy Chicken Feet)
Source: https://joelstraveltips.com/best-korean-winter-foods-to-stay-warm/
The marvellous redness of spicy covering the juicy chicken foot is one to have for in winter. This Korean winter food might give some people a bit of culture shock. Dakbal is a very popular dish with Koreans who want to go out and party, drink lots of beer and enjoy super spicy food. It’s probably the spiciest of all the Korean winter foods suitable for Asian people preferring a spicy dish. Literally meaning ‘chicken foot’ this is exactly what you’d imagine it is.
Best restaurant to serve :
1. Joahae Dakbal (5/5)
address : Seoul 20, Hongik-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu
phone numb : +82 2-6406-9537
Timings : 5pm to 1 am
2. Bulnan Dakbal (3.6/5.0)
Address : 246-16, Guui-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 서울특별시 광진구 자양로18길 6
Phone Number : 02-458-3000
Cuisine : Poultry
Price Range : 10,000 ~ 20,000 Won
Parking : Free Parking
Business Hours : 16:00 - 03:00
Day Off : 1st, 3rd Sun
3. Hongmi Dakbal
502-1 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
A dakbal eatery famous for its immensely spicy offerings.
3. Samgyeopsal (Korean BBQ)
Source:https://traveltriangle.com/blog/korean-food-guide/ ,https://aromasian.com/recipe/korean-grill-pork-belly-samgyeopsal/
The best and breathe taking aromatic dish in Korea in BBQ style, a common scene in Korean web series, on the streets of Korea is incomplete without the steak-BBQ. Samgyeopsal is their style of BBQ. If you are a non-vegetarian with an affinity for pork meat, you ought to try Samgyeopsal. The dish is simply the thick slices of pork belly meat grilled on your table and not marinated. The strips are dipped in seasoning made with sesame oil and wrapped in lettuce along with a strip of garlic and onion. It is a popular Korean meal.
Best place to have Samgyeopsal:
Nari’s Place in Itaewon, Seoul.
Nari’s Place is not just about the pork belly. Their spicy scallion is the B.O.M.B. I mean, the smell can knock out a person or two. It tastes so good, you will keep eating it.
4. Hodu-Gwaja – 호두과자 (Walnut Cookies)
Source: https://joelstraveltips.com/best-korean-winter-foods-to-stay-warm/
Walk along a busy street and you’ll certainly find a little food stall with a load of these tasty little Korean snacks being freshly made. Hodu Gwaja is a baked treat made from flour and crushed walnuts and filled with red-bean paste. Furthermore, they are baked in a walnut-shaped mould to give them this distinctive shape.
A Korean staple for a long time, these little bite-sized baked balls of goodness are certainly one of the best Korean winter snacks to share. Grab a dozen and munch them as you go, or share them with friends or family.
Best places to have walnut cake :
Apart from Korean streets in Seoul to your surprise it is also available in Toronto as Hodo Kwaja - Walnut Cake (호도과자) : The only Korean Dessert spot in downtown Toronto. Serving Traditional desserts made using only Quality, Local ingredients, No Preservatives &Veg friendly.
<Monday - Saturday 9AM - 8PM & Sunday CLOSED during the COVID-19 pandemic, but will only being TAKE-OUT ONLY>
Address : 656 Bloor St W, Toronto, Ontario M6G 1K9, Canada (Old Toronto)
Phone : +1 416-538-1208
Ratings : 4/5
5. Gyeranppang – 계란빵 (Egg Bread)
Source: https://joelstraveltips.com/best-korean-winter-foods-to-stay-warm/
A classic street food from the food stalls of Myeongdong Market and similar places. You should certainly grab one of these Korean winter street food snacks whilst out shopping for bargains. Similar to garlic bread in Dominos with an added eggy taste to satisfy the taste buds without any added spices and flavours..
This simply delectable dish is as basic as it sounds – an egg on top of a slice of toasted bread. Hot, gooey, a bit messy, and yet so warming and satisfying on a cold winter’s day.
Even better, they’re really cheap. That makes them perfect as a snack or a cheap breakfast on the go, so be sure to pick one up.
These are just a few savoury dishes to try out, there are lots more to go for in Korea so the best food choices throughout Korea are only possible to experience with a great taste. No one can never regret tasting the Korean food.
Best place to eat : Streets of Korea
Price : Egg bread servings are pretty small, but for KRW 1,000 – KRW 2,000, they’re filling enough and perfect either for breakfast to go or as a snack on the way home
FAQ
What is the origin of Tteokbokki?
Ans. This is the infamous Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Alley in Seoul. It was said that Mabongnim Halmeoni Tteokbokki is the first Tteokbokki shop that sprung up at this street. It brought in so much crowd that other Tteokbokki restaurants started popping up and eventually became the Tteokbokki street today. This restaurant has been cooking up hot, delicious tteokbokki for over 60 years, ever since it started up in 1953.
Where to Try Dakbal from ?
Ans. Hongmi Dakbal , Seoul as mentioned above.
What kind of dish is Dakbal?
Ans. A dakbal eatery famous for its immensely spicy offerings
Why You Should Eat Samgyeopsal?
Ans. It is not just a pork belly but a spicy bomb. A must try for every spicy-food lover.
Which are the other Korean street foods famous to try in winters?
Ans. Hoeddeok (sweet syrupy pancakes) Known as a sweeter version of the Western pancake, hoeddeok, or sometimes spelled as hotteok, is a popular Korean street food, especially during the winter season.
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