What's UP, Korea?) Popular Korean Street Foods in Winter Season

Popular Korean Street Foods in Winter Season

 

 

 

Korea has four seasons and I believe winter is the real Korean weather since we have so many different interestings including yummy foods on the street! It is not difficult to find vendors selling different kinds of winter food on the street.

 

Today, I would like to introduce you 7 popular foods you must try during your trip to Korea in winter season! Let's go! >_<

 

 

 

(ST Plastic Surgery Clinic, Korea)
1) 군고구마(Gungoguma) - Roasted Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are beloved regardless of seasons however we like the way it is roasted in winter seaon! You can see big oil drum-looking machine(?) filled with a warm fire and sweet potatos wrapped in tinfoil and being roasted inside. It used to be sold by men (called as 'ajushi' which is the general term of men selling anything on the streets) who is warmly-dressed and wearing gloves.

 

Sweet potatoes are popular in any way of cooking and we even put this along the edge of pizzas to give sweetness harmonized with saulty taste which is just perfect taste. Roasted sweet potatoes are sold in almost everywhere however are more seen near subway stations, schools, or shopping areas and sold two or three for 3,000 won usually.

 

 

(ST Plastic Surgery Clinic, Korea)

2) 군밤(Gunbam) - Roasted Chestnuts

I was surprised by one of my patients that they either barely eat chestnus or have chances to find it, especially the roasted ones. In Korea, we started eating chestnuts in the beginning of autumn when is the actual season of harvesting chestnuts. We sometimes eat them raw right after peeling, however the most favorite ways is to roast it.

 

When they are roasted, it is much easier to peel off and the gold well baked inside comes out. When you find vendors on the street, roasted chestnuts are mostly sold with roasted sweet potatoes since they are baked inside of the drum-looking thing together. They are mostly sold in a paper bag with 10-15 numbers of them for 3,000-4,000won.

 

 

(ST Plastic Surgery Clinic, Korea)

3) 붕어빵(Bungeoppang) - Red Bean Filled Pastry

I believe this goldfish-shaped bun is what comes to people's mind when we think about winter or winter street foods in Korea. (When it is started to be sold, Korean starts feeling that winter is coming.) As you can see, it is baked in fish-shaped bread filled with sweet red bean inside. The outside is crispy and chewy while the inside is soft and sweet. It is definitely the popular street food regardless of ages and sexes. 'Bungeo' is the name of kind of fishes and 'Ppang' means bread in Korea.

 

One of the best things about Bungeoppang is that the price is cheap even compared to other kinds of street foods. It is mostly sold two or three for 1,000 won (only 1 dollar!) and the price becomes cheaper as many as you get. Also it is sold everywhere that you will never find it difficult to find it!

 

 

(ST Plastic Surgery Clinic, Korea)
4) 계란빵(Gyeranppang) - Egg bun

Egg bun is one of my favorite street foods as long as Bungeoppang and Eomuk. As you can see, the name tells you what you want to know; it is bread with egg on the top. Since it is baked, the egg is hard-boiled but still moist when chewing. The bottom part is little bit harder pancake but never hard to chew. The texture and little bit of saltiness just comes perfectly with the egg on the top. It could be your snack before eating something or breakfast in the morning.

 

It used to be cheaper in early days, (Egg bun itself had started to be sold about 10 years ago) however the price is not as cheap as it used to be; I believe most of the vendors on the street sell it each for 1,500-2,000won. It is also usually sold with Bungeoppang togther and Koreans like to buy them mixed to taste sweetness and saltiness together.

 

 

(ST Plastic Surgery Clinic, Korea)
5) 어묵/오뎅 (Eomuk/Odeng) - Fish cake

As I mentioned right above, there are several street foods I just cannot help myself without buying once I see, including Eomuk. Unlike other foods, Eomuk is sold regardless seasons along with Tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) and Sundae (Korean sausage). We call this related foods 'Bun-sik' which are sold a lot near school areas since students and young generation like them a lot. (including me! >_<)

 

We also love to eat this after Sauna in winter season so it is not difficult to see vendors on the street near by Saunas. Eomuk is Korean name of it which is more widely called 'Odeng' in Japanese way. (We have so many words affected by Japan during Japanese colonial and still use them without realizing if they were Japanese.) Korean government encourages to use Korean terms but it is not easy and just used unnoticeably; Odeng is one of them.

 

 It is sold 500 to 1,000won per skewer and also have several tastes including spicy one which Koreans like (not me though hehe~)

 

 

(ST Plastic Surgery Clinic, Korea)
6) 호떡(Hotteok ) - Filled Cinamon Pancake

Among what I introduce here, Hotteok is the sweetest snack and beloved by every generations. While making a dough rolled into a ball, it is filled with brown sugar, honey, chopped peanuts, and cinnamon so that when it is fried, you will feel the extreme juicy from the sauce inside. It could be either served in the paper bag, but mostly in a paper cup so that you won't miss it even it is too hot to eat at first. Still, be careful when you are biting it since the sauce could run down.

 

The price is affordable, about 1,000won per piece (you would not need any more than one usually since it is just very sweet). It is such a nice desert after meal.

 

 

(ST Plastic Surgery Clinic, Korea)
7) 호빵(Hoppang) - Steamed Bun

Hoppang reminds of myself in younger age as I remember that I used to go to supermarket with my mom and bought a bundle of it, and steamed it at home. The standard of it is mostly filled with sweet red bean (as you can see above in the photo), however there are several more popular tastes.

 

As I mentioned earlier, 'Ppang' means bread in Korean and you can add the name in front of ppang depending on what's inside (Ho is more like additional word to make the bun more like the food being sold in winter season); Yachae-hoppang (vegetable), Gogi-hoppang (meat), pizza-hoppang, Curry-hoppang, or more. They are like different version of Chinese dumpling but most soft bun outside. My favorite one is Gogi-hoppang!

 

They are sold on the streets as steamed but you can also buy as a bundle (like 6 of pre-cooked them inside) from a market and microwave it at home. When you buy on the street, it costs 1,500-2,000won per bun.

 

Oh...I cannot wait for real winter to come >_<
 

 

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