SKGuide Korean Cousine Attractions Traditions

Korean Cousine

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Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural environment and different cultural trends.







Bibimbap (비빔밥) is probably one of the most well-known and beloved Korean dishes to many people. Even if people don’t know anything about Korea, it’s not too difficult to find people who had bibimbap sometime in their lives.

FUN FACT: There are over 200 types of kimchi!

What Is Typical Korean Cuisine?



Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, vegetables, seafood and (at least in South Korea) meats. Dairy is largely absent from the traditional Korean diet. Traditional Korean meals are named for the number of side dishes (반찬; 飯饌; banchan) that accompany steam-cooked short-grain rice.

Best Korean Dishes

Korean food has grown in popularity in the Western world over the last decade, mainly due to the influence of social media, where people were able to learn how delicious, healthy, and easy it is to prepare. The most popular Korean foods are dishes ordered most often in Korean restaurants and those searched for frequently on search engines and YouTube.



To help summarize this Korean food guide, I’ve mixed three categories into this guide: traditional restaurant food, street food, and trendy snacks. Restaurant food represents traditional Korean dishes you’ll typically need to order at a sit-down restaurant. Street food are dishes often sold by sidewalk vendors while trendy food describes snacks that may be little more than a passing fad. Regardless, you can find these recipes anywhere by walking into the amazing streets of South Korea!

Tteokbokki (떡볶이)

Tteokbokki is a carb-heavy comfort food with a firm yet chewy texture that is simmered in a spicy and sweet, thick red sauce. It's made with made with thick slices of garaetteok (boiled rice cake), fish cake, onions, diced garlic, salt, sugar and assorted vegetables that are stir-fried in sweet red chili sauce. Distinguished by its bright red-orange ensemble, this popular snack is usually sold at street vendors and independent snack bars.

Samgyeopsal (삼겹살)

Served with lettuce, perilla leaves, sliced onions and raw garlic kimchi, it's smudged in ssamjang (a mix of soybean paste called 'doenjang' and chili paste called 'gochujang') or salt and pepper in sesame oil.

Kimchi Stew (김치찌개)

A lesser-known fact about kimchi is its versatility as an ingredient in a whole slew of derivative dishes, which comprise a category of their own. In kimchi-jjigae, red cabbage kimchi is chopped, sauteed in oil, and cooked with tofu, cellophane noodles, pork (sometimes tuna), and other vegetables. Despite the stew's debt to kimchi, you know it has come into its own when it's served with kimchi as a side dish.

Bingsu (빙수)

Bingsu consists of shaved ice topped with an endless variety of ingredients like red bean, chopped fruit, green tea, chocolate, and other sweets. The most traditional versions always contain red bean and are known as patbingsu. Bingsu refers to more modern versions made without red bean.

Gimbap (김밥)

The process of making gimbap resembles the Italian glasswork technique of millefiori, and indeed, the finished gimbap often looks too pretty too eat. Sauteed vegetables, ground beef, sweet pickled radish, and rice, rolled and tightly wrapped in a sheet of laver seaweed (gim), and then sliced into bite-sized circles.

Haemul Pajeon (해물파전)

Crunchy and filling, Korean pancake tastes best when it comes studded with shellfish, cuttlefish, and other varieties of seafood, to make haemul (seafood) pajeon. And with its traditional companion of Korean rice wine, makgeolli, pajeon makes the perfect meal for a rainy day.

Kongguksu (콩국수)

This seasonal dish might taste bland to some, but once you learn to enjoy the subtle flavor of the bean, you will acquire a taste for this cold, creamy, textured noodle dish that no other dish will be able to satisfy in the summer. And if the pale, spring green julienne cucumbers placed on the hand-ground, snow-white soybean doesn't tip you off, kongguksu is a highly nutritious dish that also happens to be vegetarian-friendly.

Agujjim (아구찜)

Agujjim, also known as agwijjim, is a seafood dish that consists of anglerfish braised on a bed of dropwort and bean sprout. It is as spicy as it looks: the entire dish is a bright reddish color, from the chili powder, chili paste, and chili peppers used in the seasoning. The white, firm flesh of the anglerfish, which is quite rightly called the "beef of the sea," is meaty and filling. And the tangle of dropwort and bean sprout that make up the majority of the dish aren't just there for decoration: the dropwort is tart and the bean sprouts crunchy.

Dubu kimchi (두부김치)

This appropriate combination of blanched dubu (tofu), sauteed kimchi, and stir-fried pork is a threesome made in heaven. The dubu, which has the potential to be bland on its own, has the pork to add substance and the kimchi to add flavor. Another stalwart companion to alcohol, especially at more traditional bars and restaurants, dubu kimchi makes soju almost palatable.

Soy sauce crab (간장게장)

Ganjang gejang, or crab marinated in soy sauce, can be so addictive that it's often affectionately called "rice thief," the joke being that you keep eating more rice just so that you can have more gejang since it's just that good. Slightly tangy, tantalizingly bitter, pungent and cold, the taste may come as a shock for first-timers. But among South Koreans, gejang has been carving out a niche for itself as more of a centerpiece than a sideshow to other seafoods..