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Korean food culture is seriously no joke.You may know about kimchi, barbecue, and bibimbap, but this country's cuisine is as varied as it is vast.
During our visit to the country, we made it our mission to try a new item in almost every meal- and accomplishing this goal was quite easy. We are not exaggerating when we say you could eat out for two weeks without having the same thing twice other than banchan (included sides).
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This one is set up to discuss the dishes themselves, but at the end of each section we give one or two restaurant recommendations where you can find a stellar iteration!
Korean barbecue is not the kind of barbecue you'd expect from most other places around the world. Here, meat (typically pork neck or belly) is cooked on a custom griddle over hot coals or a custom gas-fired grill. It often starts as one large piece and is cut into smaller bits by your server as it cooks (although you're more than welcome to do this yourself if you know what you're doing).
By the time the meat is done, it is already in bite-sized pieces that can be combined with the assortment of banchan that is served along with it. This often includes salt, tiny shrimp (also salty), a spicy sauce, perilla leaves, kimchi, fermented vegetables, spicy peppers, and more. This ends up being a choose-your-own-adventure kind of meal where you may take one bite of pork neck with the spicy sauce and a perilla leaf, and then the next with just shrimp, or perhaps one with a bite of something spicy, and so on.
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In fact, by our fifth barbecue experience we were almost exclusively ordering pork neck (hangjeongsal), placing a piece in a perilla leaf, and topping with a spicy sauce and a fermented vegetable. It is literally our perfect bite.
If you find yourself on Jeju Island, a barbecue experience here is a must to try the famous Jeju black pork. This comes from a smaller pig that is known for its black hair and dense fat marbling.
“Jeon” in Korean is a generic term to describe most any food that is covered in flour and fried. One of the most common jeon you'll find in the country is Kimchi-jeon (also called Kimchi-buchimgae) and this is essentially a fried kimchi pancake with vegetables.
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We are big fans of this one over other similar style pancakes as the kimchi adds a tangy and spicy bite to it, and when you couple that with the greasy oil that soaks up in the pancake itself you get a rather delicious bite every single time. Great for a side with a meal!
Bibimbap is one of the most famous dishes to come out of South Korea and is primarily a rice and vegetable bowl that comes served with a slightly spicy gochujang sauce (a staple in many Korean dishes). In Jeonju, where bibimbap was invented, this often goes one step further to have the rice cooked in beef broth and topped with raw meat, a raw egg yolk, and various kinds of nuts as well.
Other variants of this dish come out in a sizzling hot pot that slight chars the rice and cooks the vegetables to produce a warm vegetable bowl that has a lot going on in every bite.
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Korea's most well-known noodle dish is most likely Japchae- a sweet potato based glass noodle that is served with a mix of vegetables and a sweet soy sauce. What we love about this one is that the noodles are incredibly light and are a good vehicle for added flavors of the sweet potato and sauce to go with the vegetable mix. Another great dish to add on as a side when you see it!
Gimbap is a popular street food in Korea that is, essentially, sushi (large sushi at that). We found many of these from vendors at breakfast time and made for a great snack on the go with options including fish, vegetables, kimchi, and more. Great for when you need to load up on something fast and cheap!
Most countries with a good food scene have their version of a dumpling, and in South Korea this is mandu. These dumplings are often filled with vegetables, kimchi, or meat; may have a thin wrapper or be thicker and more like a bao bun; and can come steamed, fried, or even in a soup! To say that these are versatile is an understatement, and you can try them again and again with a new flavor combination.
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The fried chicken scene in South Korea is no joke, with numerous restaurants serving their take on this popular food style. Many restaurants serve the chicken straight up to let the flavors of their batter come through, but often also have one or two sauces that can go along with it (go for sweet and spicy options when you can find it).
While we have to admit that we were not blown away by the chicken itself in the restaurants we tried, there is one thing we could appreciate- the size! The orders of fried chicken were also quite large, giving you ample food to enjoy with a cheap Cass beer (or three).
In a list of great Korean food, you'd think we would have kimchi be its own entry. But as it is often served as a side with virtually every meal as banchan, you don't have to go out of your way to get it. But one kimchi derived dish you should check out is Kimchi Chigae- or kimchi stew.
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We found this one in Seoul at a popular breakfast spot, and is essentially a heated kimchi soup with tofu and other extra vegetables thrown into the mix. It is hearty, savory, tangy, and more and is a good way to fill up before starting your day.
Jeju Island is known far and wide for its seafood, and you can get a number of delicious dishes when eating out. But one stands out as being something rather unique to the island- abalone. This shellfish is highly sought after for its large meat and beautiful pearlescent shells.
In fact, prior to visiting Jeju we had never tried this one because it is simply far too expensive for our budget (not to mention, quite rare).
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So, what is abalone like? The flavor of these is very reminiscent of a mussel, but the size and texture is more like a scallop. This one is most certainly a splurge due to its price, but is something you'll never forget after trying!
Jeju is also known for producing an assortment of various oranges and tangerines, and those who drive around Jeju will likely see citrus grove after citrus grove (especially towards the south). At attractions you'll see vendors selling juice from these oranges, at tourist shops you'll see candies and other food items made from it, and in the public markets, you'll see the citrus fruit itself- priced by size with the largest ones being the most sought after.
Even if you go for the small ones (which are quite reasonably priced), get a kilogram to enjoy when on the island!
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The smaller, lesser-visited island of Udo (U-do) is just a short ferry ride away from Jeju, and is known for producing a very specific kind of food- peanuts! When exploring this one you can find peanuts available in a number of forms from raw to in makgeolli and even ice cream! The latter of which was our preferred way to enjoy this food item as we found one topped with whole peanuts, crumbled peanuts, and mixed into the ice cream base- perfect for a hot day after biking around Udo!
Gejang is a unique dish that may be off-putting to some, as it is a soy sauce marinated crab. While it is served raw, the soy sauce marinade actually cooks the crab much like you would expect from ceviche. This gives the crab meat a very interesting texture that is quite tender, and the soy sauce adds a wonderful savory flavor to the meat.
Kalbi is made from beef short rib and is often reformed into a sausage patty. In fact, this one is served with a sweet sauce and is quite reminiscent of sausage when you eat it- just significantly higher quality.
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Couple that with a fried egg, rice, and kimchi and you have the makings of a delicious meal with a sweet component you don't get in many Korean dishes!
Naengmyeon is a popular dish made with buckwheat noodles, vegetables, and is often sold cold! This one is a popular dish found prominently in North Korea but is served in South Korea as well.
In our iteration of this dish, we found ice cubes in the broth, meaning that as soon as the noodles were finished cooking it was flash cooled to be served at the intended temperature
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