Complete Guide to Korean Street Food with Pictures
(Gemini761)
Dessert Snack Korean Street Foods
A lot of Korean street foods are sweet snacks meant to be eaten as desserts or just to satisfy your sweet tooth. If you’re walking off a big meal in Korea, and you happen to come across a few Korean sweet snacks, check out these.
Dragon beard candy (꿀타래 – kkultarae) – Dragon beard candy used to a royal dessert for kings. They take a hard block of honey, powder it up with corn starch and stretch it out into super thin strands of stringy sweet Korean street snack goodness. They cut up the strands and wrap it up with nuts, powders, or other goodies.
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Hotteok (호떡) – This is one of Korea’s most famous street snacks. It’s a dessert pancake that’s put on a griddle and then filled with lots of sweet goodies like brown sugar, honey, pine nuts and cinnamon. It’s one of Korea’s most representative street snacks. Definitely try it.
Dalgona (달고나) – This is the simplest of Korean street snacks (it’s only made with white sugar and baking soda), but it’s actually the most fun to eat. That’s because it’s also a game. Inside the cookie is a shape. And the goal of the game is to break the edges around the shape to keep it intact. If you’re successful, you get to eat it for free!
Ppeongtwigi (뻥튀기) – Another simple Korean snack is ppeongtwigi, puffed rice grains. Korean street snack vendors use a high pressure cooker to pump out these crispy treats. And they usually pop each time they’re made. If you can hear it, you’re probably close by.
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Egg bread (계란빵) – Egg bread (aka gyeran ppang) is a popular winter street food in Korea. It features a whole egg inside or on top of some bread (or baked waffle batter). The egg is complete with both white and yolk. It’s the breakfast of champions! (Or… people late to school.)
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Fish bread (붕어빵) – Ok, there’s no actual fish inside. It’s just called so because they’re are shaped like little fishies. Instead, inside the baked batter is usually sweet red beans (팥). It’s another popular winter snack that can be had for cheap. Since it is quite cheap, these street foods are usually found in front of schools.
Variations: There are many variations. The fillings are the same. Only the shapes differ.
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Walnut Cakes – Walnut cake is another waffle batter-based street food. It is also filled with sweet red azuki beans. For this one, however, it wouldn’t be walnut cake without some of that good ol’ brain food, walnuts, packed inside. This is also another popular Korean winter snack sold around subway stations and bus stops.
See next page for more Korean street foods.
17 Comments
Wow, I think I’ve only tried 4 or 5 of those street foods. One good reason to plan another trip to Seoul haha. Last time my friend bought me 떡꼬치… It is so delicious! Great post, as always. 🙂
Don’t be put off if the only people you see eating rice cakes together are middle school girls. Come on over and get some for yourself. There’s no age difference in terms of popularity; both youngsters and adults like it.
Keith~~~ you forgot about the fried-potato-swirling-strip-on-a-stick! ( no idea whats that called though) :DD
I was going to add that, but it’s not really a Korean street food. And I don’t think it’s really Koreanized at all. It’s sold all over the world 🙂 It’s called Tornado potato, haha
Yeah Lilian, it’s called Tornado Potato and seems very popular too in Korea. Looks like it’s one of some innovated street foods there. Btw, I also wrote an article on this topic Keith, and listed 15 Korean street foods there, including other popular snacks like hotteok, kkultarae, and… another trendy one, tokkebi hot dog. You may want to check the list: http://explorerguidebook.blogspot.com/2013/11/15-jajanan-pinggir-jalan-khas-korea.html
Hi everyone! I like reading every article in this website so much!
But I have a question for you Keith. Is it possible that it takes a few hours, even a few days for a new post to appear on the website? I’m asking this because in the latest update box it says that the last post was done today at 3:27 AM ( time in Korea I guess) but I can’t find it; is that done on purpose? It’s there a technical problem? Is it just my web browser? I have come across with this issue on recent posts. Thank you, and keep working hard because this site is just A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!
those silkworm larvaes are just gross man….bleeuuurrgh
As information on other street meals becomes available, we want to update this site accordingly. Leave a comment if you think we forgot any popular street snacks; we’ll include them in a future version of this article.
all of these are amazing but my favorite street food is still hotteok :DDD
About that toast… 😀
Funny enough, I’ve met quite a few Dutch people, who eat toasts like that for breakfast: slightly frying egg, putting toast bread on it, ham, and once done – sprinkling with sugar powder and topping with either jam or ketchup.
That, and pancakes. Usually the thick pancakes, where you eat 2 and you’re stuffed. Of course, with all the stuff on top – it’s no wonder.
Oh, one difference: I’ve never seen Dutch people putting that toastie in a cup 🙂
In any case, I was quite surprised to see their combinations. Once in a while it’s as if they take pride in making a weirdest one, but it might just be me. Previously never really considered ham and sweets together, but now – pancake with chocolate spread, egg, ham, ketchup and sugar powder seems quite allright.
So, I wonder if some Dutch people “drove by” Korea? 🙂
You missed delimanjoo, I really enjoyed that on cold February afternoon while passing though the subway stations.
Not sure if they are Korean or not, by my Korean girlfriend says they are popular.
Hi! Thanks for this guide! I cant wait to be heading to Seoul for study abroad program coming up this winter and this is by far the most helpful site I’ve found yet on street food! Again thanks alot!
do you have any recommendation for street clothing venues? or any cheap places for souvenirs and shopping in general?
LOVE THIS SITE!
Keith mannn are you on instagram? Or is your site? We are visiting seoul now for the next two weeks and your website has been the best!!!! 🙂
Hi! I wonder if you can give me the name of the oval-shaped hot cake toped wih egg.? the lady poured the batter inti oval-shaped baking pans about 3-1/2″ x 1-1/2″ , then cracked a fresh egg ontop of the batter, then baked it in a round hot oven until the top of the egg turns brown around the sides and the pancake has risen almost to the brim if the baking pan.
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All of these are great, but hotteok is still my favorite street food.
Although all of these are excellent, my favorite street food is still hotteok.