While we have our soft pretzels and hot dogs, street food around the world is a bright and wonderful world full of unique and delicious food – for cheap! From okonomiayki in Japan to baozi in China, street food is a means for people to grab a quick bite to eat on the way to work, have fun with friends, or even take the latest viral picture for Instagram.
Street food has become so increasingly popular amongst other countries that Netflix has its own show dedicated to the delectable dishes! South Korea is one of the best places in the world to get street food with a variety of sweet, spicy, and savory dishes- check out these top five Korean street foods that will blow your mind!
#5 – Tall Ice Cream Cone
Who doesn’t love ice cream? If you think that you’ve seen it all when it comes to ice cream, you haven’t seen ice cream in South Korea. The fun variety of flavors are maybe the least interesting element about this street food- the height of these creamy, chilled snacks are way more astounding. With the ice cream cone standing at 32cm or 12 inches tall, eating these monsters is just as much fun as it is yummy.
#4 – Japchae
Every Asian country has its own version of a stir fried noodle, but Japchae in Korea is something so unique and mouth-watering that it deserves its own spotlight. Maangchi, a popular Korean Youtuber, writes on her blog about the wonders of Japchae, noting, “it’s hard to pass up these chewy, sweet, and slightly slippery noodles with colorful stir-fried vegetables and mushrooms, its irresistible sesame flavor, healthy amount of garlic, and light, refreshing taste.”
#3 – Korean Kogo
Perhaps you’ve seen viral videos of people on Youtube trying these cheesy, corn dog looking things or even ones that appear to have french fries around it. If you have, you’ve seen Korean Kogo in all of its beauty and glory! Korean Kogo is essentially fried cheese or fried sausage, sometimes both, battered and fried with french fries around it! Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it?
#2 – Tteokbokki
Imagine a chewy, soft yet thick food that is cut into bite-sized pieces and smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce- that’s Tteokbokki! I probably didn’t do the best at describing it, but I’ll make it up for now. Tteokbokkiis a Korean dish that consists of garae-tteok or chewy rice cakes, stir fried with a spicy sweet tomato-based sauce. You won’t regret trying these and once you do, I promise you’ll be addicted!
#1 – Korean Street Toast
I know what you’re thinking, what is so special about some toast? Trust me when I tell you that Korean Street Toast is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in life. The toast can be described as a sandwich as well, but whatever you’d like to call it, it is absolutely delicious. Two pieces of white bread are buttered and toasted on a grill, then topped with American cheese, an egg ‘omelet’ filled with cabbage, carrots (and other vegetables), ham or spam (sometimes), then finished with ketchup and a sprinkle of sugar.
Did you book your ticket to South Korea yet? These street foods are some of the most popular, but there are plenty out there to taste and try. Have fun!