Korea's Winter Delicious Street Foods

With the arrival of cold winter, a variety of Korean winter snacks and foods appear in the strret. Savory and sweet winter street foods like Bungeoppang, Hotteok, Gunbam(Roasted Chestnut), Gungoguma (Baked Sweet Potato), and Hoppang, just to name a few, are all-time favorite snacks for Koreans regardless of age.

 

Carts and stalls selling these food items increase in numbers as temperatures go down and become easily spotted at every street corner. They seduce people to warm themselves up and have a bite before continuing their journey. Standing around the cooking stoves, this not only helps everyone forget about the chilly winter weather for a moment, but also reminds Koreans of their childhood.

 

Bungeoppang (Carp-Shaped Cake)

 

A common winter street scene in Korea is that of food carts selling Bungeoppang on street corners. Bungeoppang is made by pouring flour dough into the bungeo (carp)-shaped black cast iron mold and filling it with red bean paste. Bungeoppang can vary slightly in shape and color depending on the amount of flour used and the baking time, but the taste is always similar to please the crowd.

 

For many Koreans, the sight of freshly baked Bungeoppang and its sweet aroma wafting through the crisp winter air is a signal that winter has truly arrived. Nowadays, you can find a diverse fusion of Bungeoppang such as Ingeoppang, Mini-Bungeoppang, and Bungeoppang filled with ingredients other than the traditional red bean paste. Prices vary by region, but 3 to 4 pcs. of  Bungeoppang usually cost 1,000 won.

 

Hoppang (Jjinbbang)

 

Hoppang, pre-cooked soft buns, are typical Korean winter snacks usually warmed in a steamer or microwave before being eaten. Traditionally Hoppang is filled with red bean paste, but other versions are also available including fillings like meat, cheese, vegetables, sweet potatoes, pizza toppings, sweet pumpkin, etc.

 

Hoppang derives its name from the Korean onomatopoeia “ho ho” for blowing on hot food and also from the sound of laughter that comes from a family happily eating Hoppang together. Each one costs around 700 to 1,000 won. This tasty snack can be purchased at nearly any convenience store, small independent grocery store, street vendor, or market in the neighborhood.

 

Gunbam

 

Roasted chestnuts, or Gunbam in Korean, are one of the most popular winter snacks as they can easily be prepared at home. Roasted chestnuts take a long time to cook thoroughly but a longer cooking time ensures that you get the best flavor. They are usually sold near traditional markets in small paper bags for 2,000 to 3,000 won.

You can also buy Gungoguma (Baked Sweet Potato) at the same cart.

 

Tteokbokki

 

Tteokbokki is a widely popular dish in Korea that has a very distinctive spicy, yet sweet, flavor. The main ingredient of Tteokbokki is garae tteok (rice cake formed into a long white cylinder shape), which is mixed with eomuk (fish cake) and various vegetables like onions, cabbage, and carrots, and red pepper paste. The mixture is heated and served with a hot cup of broth that the eomuk was cooked in.

 

Tteokbokki is easily found all across Korea. Tteokbokki franchise restaurants have also increased in numbers and a wider variety of Tteokbokki flavors are available including ones using curry, cheese, and jajang (black soybean sauce). Prices vary by store, but you can generally expect to pay 2,500 to 3,500 won per serving with complimentary refills of eomuk broth.

 

Kkochi Eomuk

 

Yet another street food snack that Koreans like to eat as the temperatures drop is Kkochi Eomuk (fish cake skewers). Eomuk is prepared on skewers then boiled in a broth flavored with radishes and kelp. Unlike Tteokbokki, Eomuk is not spicy and is a great complement to help soothe the spicy taste of Tteokbokki, and of course it’s the menu to look for when you want to speed up the thawing of your body. Kkochi Eomuk usually cost anywhere from 500 to 1,000 won per piece and are often sold at the same stands as Tteok-Bokki.

 Hotteok

 

Hotteok is probably the most friendly winter snack favored by locals and international visitors alike. In winter, places such as Insa-dong and Namdaemun Market in Seoul are dotted with Hotteok vendors serving up these delicious little pancakes.

 

Hotteok is made with dough from glutinous rice flour and filled with a mix of sugar, peanuts, and cinnamon. The round and flat pancakes are then lightly fried in oil. Some variations include Hotteok stuffed with vegetables or seeds. Be careful when you take that first bite; although the brown-sugar filling is delicious, it is often very hot. Like many of the other street foods in Korea, Hotteok costs 1,000 won apiece.