Top 20 Best Korean Foods Loved By Both Koreans and Foreigners
As one of the countries that are becoming more and more widely known for its top-notch entertainment, Korean cuisine is also gaining more and more fans around ... read more...the world. In particular, you will find it even more interesting when you start to learn more dishes here because of the variety of dishes as well as the unique features of Korean cuisine. Here are the top 20 most popular dishes in Korea as well as foreign tourists compiled by Toplist.
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Kimbap is known as a traditional Korean dish. Not only loved by their own people but also many people around the world know and love this dish.
With a simple recipe and familiar ingredients, you can easily make this dish yourself at home. Kimbap is made from dried seaweed rolled up with white rice and a variety of other ingredients such as carrots, fried eggs, cucumbers, spinach, ... then rolled and cut into bite-sized pieces. Therefore, it is very convenient when traveling or when you do not have too much time.
There are many types of kimbap but in Korea, there are some popular ones such as traditional kimbap, tuna kimbap, cheese kimbap, beef kimbap,...
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Korean fried chicken is one of the most popular dishes in Korea. You can easily find the fried chicken in any country in the world and know many famous fried chicken brands, but Korean fried chicken is quite unique. Korean fried chicken covered with crispy crust comes with a variety of sauces that are only available here such as soy sauce (Ganjang) or sweet chili (Yangnyeom).
The opening of more and more Korean fried chicken brands is accompanied by the popularity of this dish. You can easily find a fried chicken restaurant in Korea, and even when watching Korean movies, fried chicken dishes are also popular.
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Samgyeopsal or Grilled Pork Belly. This is usually a dish where people often gather to grill meat and drink soju (very popular alcohol in Korea).
Samgyeopsal is a dish served with thinly sliced pork and is usually grilled directly while eating. People will usually cook while eating and chatting with each other. But the reason why this dish has become a famous Korean dish is that you will have to admire the special sauce of this place.
Tourists, as well as foreigners, also love this dish. This is a dish that ranks as a Korean dish that foreign tourists want to eat again.
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Bossam is a dish that combines boiled pork and raw vegetables with many other side dishes such as kimchi, garlic, spicy gourd, etc.
They usually boil the pork belly or neck in a broth containing various herbs to give the pork a better flavor.
Like many other dishes, Korean dishes are often distinguished by the sauce of the dish. Bossam is eaten by dipping it with ssamjang or salted shrimp and then wrapped in lettuce and perilla leaves and many other accompaniments.
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Nakji Bokkeum or Korean Spicy Stir-fried Octopus is an octopus stir-fried in a spicy sauce. When you eat Nakji Bokkeum in a restaurant, it is brought to the table or cooked at the table, with rice served separately. You can also eat nakji bokkeum with pasta.
If you are a person who likes to eat spicy food, then Nakji Bokkeum is your true love! This dish is spicier than many other Korean dishes, so in many restaurants or many places that make this dish, it is often accompanied by bean sprouts to reduce the spiciness of the dish. Koreans often like to eat spicy food, so Nakji Bokkeum is more and more popular here.
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When it comes to Korean cuisine, surely not many people are unfamiliar with tteokbokki. It is always in the top 10 popular dishes on Korean food charts. Tteokbokki is made by stir-frying rice cakes with a variety of other ingredients.
Due to the wide availability and familiar ingredients, easy to combine, there are many different types of tteokbokki. With traditional tteokbokki, the dish usually combines rice cakes with ingredients such as Korean fish cakes, sausages, eggs… In addition, there are some new and unique combinations of tteokbokki such as Rabokki, which combines with Korean ramyeon noodles; Cheese tteokbokki, topped with a rich layer of cheese,…
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Bibimbap is a dish consisting of rice and many ingredients mixed together. You can easily make Bibimbap at home because the ingredients of this dish are diverse and easy to find such as eggs, beef, vegetables, bean sprouts, carrots,... But what sets Bibimbap apart is the Korean sauce. This dish is often mixed with soy sauce, Korean chili sauce.
If you are a person who likes to eat rice and want to try a new rice dish, this is one of the dishes you can try. You can also create your own Bibimbap with your favorite toppings.
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In Korean, Japchae or Glass Noodle Stir Fry means noodles mixed with various vegetables. The type of noodles used in Japchae is usually made of sweet potato starch noodles and is stir-fried with various vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and onions. If you like to eat meat, you can also add stir-fried pork, stir-fried beef...
And surely you will not be able to enjoy the full flavor of Japchae if you do not eat it with Korea's unique sauce, which is soy sauce, a unique feature that makes Korean dishes.
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In Korean, Naengmyeon means cold noodles. This dish is divided into two main categories: Hamheung and Pyeongyang. Hamheung is called naengmyeon bibim (mixed cold noodles) because it is mixed with red chili powder. Pyeongyang is called naengmyeon mul (cold water noodles) because it has the usual broth. Both varieties have their own unique taste.
The reason it is called cold noodles is that they will put ice in this dish. It can be said that Naengmyeon is one of the new and unique Korean dishes.
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Kimchi jjigae is a stew made from kimchi and other ingredients such as onions, tofu, seafood, pork, etc. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish so there are many combinations of dishes. with kimchi. Especially the Kimchi jjigae.
You can eat it on a cold day, feeling the heat of the dish will make your whole body warm. Sliced kimchi is put in a pot with beef, pork or seafood, tofu, thinly sliced scallions and garlic, and then boiled with reserved water or anchovies. This stew goes well with Doenjang or Koch'uchang.
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Samgyetang or Ginseng Chicken Soup is a variation of guk or Korean soup.
Samgyetang is made by stewing a whole young chicken with ginseng, hedysarum root, jujube and sweet rice. Considered to be an energy booster best eaten during Sambok (three summer heatwaves in the lunar calendar) in which Chobok (start), Jungbok (middle), and malbok (end), traditional food this Korean dish have also become popular among international diners.
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Bulgogi is one of the most famous dishes in Korea. It usually refers to a dish where beef is marinated and then grilled.
This is a dish that most Koreans love. Hardly anyone doesn't know what Bulgogi is. Therefore, when introducing Korean cuisine, this is always one of the most popular choices. You have to taste it once to fully feel the essence of this dish.
One of the things that makes this dish so great is the Bulgogi sauce. The taste of grilled meat that melts in your mouth is thanks to the great effort of this meat marinade.
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Haemul Pajeon or Korean Seafood Pancake is a Korean savory pancake fried from a mixture of seafood and scallions, often served with vinegared soy sauce. They often use seafood such as squid, octopus, shrimp, and clam, so you will be delighted to feel the chewy taste of seafood and the crispiness of green onions when eating this dish.
In Korea, people usually eat haemul pajeon with Makgeolli (traditional rice wine) on rainy days. The sound of raindrops hitting the window or falling to the ground is similar to the sizzling sound when you cook this savory pancake, that's why it is believed that people want to eat haemul pajeon when they hear the rain. -
Soondae is an icon of Korean street food. Soondae is pork intestines stuffed with dangmyeon, pig blood, and various vegetables.
An interesting thing that makes this dish quite unique is that the dipping sauce often changes depending on the region of Korea. For example, in Gyeonggi Province, Seoul, it is seasoned with salt; in Busan and Ulsan, it is usually dotted with ssamjiang or makjang; or places in jeolla province are often dotted with chojang.
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Galbijjim is braised beef ribs with white radish or shiitake mushrooms, vegetables and spices. This is Korean food, loved by both men and women of all ages.
Sometimes, Galbijjim can also substitute beef ribs for pork ribs. This is a stew of beef and pork ribs with vegetables. This is a dish often eaten on holidays or birthdays to welcome guests to the house.
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Ramyeon or Ramyun or Korean Instant Noodles is a dish with cheap prices as well as simple and fast processing, it is increasingly popular in Korea in particular and the world in general. Ramyeon is a type of Korean instant noodles made with its own style to suit the people here. According to estimates, Korea is the country that consumes the most ramyeon in the world.
With the appearance of Korean instant noodles in Korean dramas and movies, they are gaining popularity with people around the world as an alternative to other snacks. In the United States, the recipe for cheese Ramyeon (cheddar cheese topped with ramyeon bread) is gaining popularity, and in Australia, a celebrity chef has even developed a menu that uses Korean instant noodles.
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Moving on to a famous Korean drink, Sikhye. This is a traditional Korean drink. This drink is made from rice and barley flour to help your digestive system work better.
Sikhye is often eaten with pine nuts, which balances the nutrition and makes the dish more delicious. This is one of the expensive drinks in the summer because you will immediately feel refreshed after drinking this cool, sweet water.
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Tteokguk is a dish made with a broth of boiled beef with rice cakes. This is one of the traditional dishes that are usually cooked during the Lunar New Year - one of the biggest holidays in Korea.
Tteokguk is made by cutting 'Garae Tteok', a long strip of rice cake dough, which symbolizes a long life. Or it can also be cut into coin-like circles, symbolizing wealth. By eating rice cake soup during the festival, Koreans celebrate one year of age and gain greater wisdom, copper. wishes for prosperity and longevity.
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Bingsu is a snow cream dish covered with cream, fruit, jam... above, a very popular dessert in Korea and spread to many countries around the world. Snow ice cream is usually made by using fresh milk in an ice cream maker. This ice cream is developed from traditional snow shaved ice cream but has many advantages such as smoother quality, beautiful colors, special lots of flavor and cool feeling at -35 degrees Celsius.
The most popular type of bingsu is Pat Bingsoo. Pat refers to the sweet red beans that are added to the top of the whey. However, nowadays, Bingsu is more diversified to suit the taste of diners. Instead of using red beans, people often use fresh fruit, which is not too sweet and very refreshing, especially suitable for summer days.
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Hottoek is a type of Korean-style pancake. One of Korea's most popular street snacks, it's made with a simple dough and filled with sweet syrup made with cinnamon, brown sugar, and peanuts. It's a great snack when you're in between meals.
It is not difficult to find street vendors selling hotteok in Korea. When baked hot, it is served folded in paper cups or in a thin cardboard. You need to be very careful not to burn your tongue as the sweet filling melts when you bite into it.