According to Nikkei Asia, like many other cities around the world, the streets of the Korean capital are filled with street snacks suitable for the holiday season. Street food in Seoul has come a long way since the 1960s.
Illustration. Source: Nikkei
Roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes are still popular dishes in Korea during the winter, but over time, street food in Korea has adapted new forms and flavors to suit the palate. of tourists around the world. Especially the appearance of foreign ingredients in traditional Korean dishes such as tteokbokki rice cakes filled with cheese and corn cakes filled with meat and mozzarella cheese. Cooking habits have also changed over time, people have been using gas stoves for a long time to replace the charcoal or wood grills of previous years.
Street food has always held an important position in Korean culture, especially with the participation of the country's leader or large domestic corporations. In December, South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol was seen enjoying tteokbokki and eomuk (fish cakes) from a street stall in Busan, South Korea's second largest city, alongside other "giants". ” business leaders include Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo. This is also a way for this country to promote its cuisine more to the world.
Promoting cuisine through dramas and K-pop
The popularity of Korean cuisine is fueled by growing international interest in Korean culture driven by the K-pop wave and films and television series such as “Squid Game” by Netflix, the movie that introduced Korean sugar candy to the world. These candies in Korea are called dalgona, which is a snack sold a lot on the streets.
Dalgona is made from granulated sugar and baking soda, melted and then spread thinly to print many different shapes.
Yoon Young-Soon, who has been making the famous dalgona candy in the Seoul suburb of Myeongdong for 24 years, said the TV show has had a significant impact on the number of foreign tourists buying the candy at the store.
“After the movie Squid Game, I had more foreign customers. Korean sugar candy has become my livelihood. I'm very happy to be able to continue selling this candy," said Ms. Yoon Young-Soon.
Besides, many foreign visitors to Seoul now often make their way to the bustling streets of Myeongdong, which has become a mecca for street food.
“My friends and I went to Myeongdong to shop as well as to try different street foods. With hundreds of stalls to choose from, we enjoyed all the dishes that actors had enjoyed on Korean TV shows,” said Wang Cong, a tourist from China.
Street merchants also strive to improve the quality of the food they sell, such as makgeolli, a cloudy rice wine often paired with fried foods, and soju, a colored bottle. Distinctive green, especially popular when served with meat dishes.
Another great place to enjoy street food in Seoul is Gwangjang Market, one of the oldest markets in Seoul, where vendors sell everything from textiles and upholstery to imported sweets. password. However, the highlight of the market is the cooked food area, where rows of food stalls with temporary tables and chairs provide a culinary paradise. The foods available are so diverse that it's easy to find everything here.
Street foods you should try when coming to Korea
In Busan, Nampodong International Market, also known as Gukje Market, is a great place to sample local street food. Multteok, also known locally as mulodeng, is a skewered rice cake cooked in fish broth. Multteok is often enjoyed with fish cakes to absorb the flavor from the broth.
Among the street foods in Korea, Bungeo-ppang fish cakes are also very famous in Korea. Bungeo-ppang, traditionally, is filled with red bean paste but can now be found with fillings such as chocolate, custard cream and sweet potato mousse.
Although this dish is often sold on the streets in the winter, food companies also produce new versions to help diners return to the dish in the microwave or fryer when they get it home. .
There is also Hotteok which is a type of pancake with filling that is flattened and fried. The sweet version is filled with sugar, cinnamon and sometimes peanuts. Versions with cornstarch or green tea can also be found. Hotteok is usually folded in half and placed in a paper cup, ready to eat while still hot. However, buyers may need to be patient. The average waiting time at a popular hotteok cart in Seoul's Namdaemun market is more than an hour.
Another street food is Bindae-tteok – Korean-style pancakes made from ground green beans. In particular, bindae-tteok is a favorite dish in families on holidays in Korea such as Chuseok (harvest thanksgiving) and Seolnal, also known as Lunar New Year.
And Tteokbokki can be made in many ways, but the most popular version includes a spicy sauce made from gochujang. There is also a non-spicy version consisting of ground beef, pine nuts and sesame seeds, seasoned with ganjang (soy sauce), which was served at the royal court during Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). As a street food, tteokbokki can also be enjoyed with eomuk fish cake skewers./.
