Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»
hotteok
- deep-fried dough pancakes, usually with a brown-sugar-and-crushed-nut filling (although you can
also get savoury vegetable-filled versions). Look also for the
oksusu
(corn)
hotteok,
which are really, really
huge.
»
delimanjoo
- minicakes filled with custard or red bean, freshly baked on the street.
»
kkultarae -
superfine threads of honey and cornflour wrapped around crushed nuts (formerly a royal sweet).
The young guys making them at several stalls along Insa-dong-gil put on a fun show.
Fish & Seafood
Fish
(saengseon)
and other seafood
(haemul)
is generally served broiled, grilled or in a
soup, while
hoe
is raw fish like
sashimi
. Fish are usually served whole with both the head
and guts. Visit Noryangjin Fish Market or the West Sea islands such as Muuido to indulge
in raw fish, steamed crab, grilled prawns or barbecued shellfish feasts.
Nakji
(octopus) is
usually served in a spicy sauce; if you're brave try the raw version of
sannakji
(baby oc-
topus) - the chopped-up tentacles still wriggle on the plate when brought to the table.
Haemultang
is a seafood soup containing so much chilli that even locals have to mop their
brows.
Soups & Stews
Soups
(tang
or
guk)
are a highlight of Korean cuisine. 'A meal without soup is like a face
without eyes', goes a traditional saying. They vary from spicy seafood and tofu soups to
bland broths such as
galbitang
and
seolleongtang,
made from beef bones; the latter is a
Seoul speciality.
Gamjatang
is a spicy peasant soup with meaty bones and a potato. Tip: if
a soup is too spicy, mix in some rice.
Strict rules govern the types of foods prepared for display during Confucian ancestral rite
ceremonies. The irst row includes rice-cake soup and glasses of rice wine. The second row,
fried foods; the third, stews; the fourth, side dishes including kimchi; the ifth, piles of fruit.
Stews
(jjigae)
are usually served sizzling in a stone hotpot with plenty of spices. Popu-
lar versions are made with tofu
(dubu jjigae),
soybean paste
(doenjang jjigae)
and kimchi.
Beoseotjeongol
is a less spicy but highly recommended mushroom hotpot.
