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As South Korea enters the chilly winter with freezing temperatures and blankets of snow, there's a universal need for dishes that can chase away the cold and warm the body. Let's explore the delectable dishes that Koreans always turn to during the winter!
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1. Fish-shaped pastry (Bungeoppang)
Fish-shaped pastry – a pastry with an outer shell resembling a fish with red bean filling inside. This pastry is a street food staple, frequently appearing in Korean dramas. As Korean cinema gains international acclaim, it's no surprise that fish-shaped pastry has also become a favorite for everyone.
Traditional fish-shaped pastry (Photo: internet)
But few know that in South Korea, fish-shaped pastry can only be found and enjoyed during the winter. Places selling fish-shaped pastry are typically small carts, mostly concentrated in areas with heavy foot traffic such as around subway stations, residential areas, etc.
Fish-shaped pastry stalls (Photo: internet)
A pastry with a crispy outer shell and a hot, fragrant, and creamy red bean filling will be the perfect choice in this chilly weather.
Fish-shaped pastry (Source: internet)
2. Korean Sweet Pancake (Hotteok)
Hotteok sweet pancake is made from fermented wheat flour, then filled with honey and various seeds before being fried. Like fish-shaped pastry, hotteok is also a typical street snack in winter, frequently seen in Korean dramas.
Korean Sweet Pancake (Photo: internet)
Recently, besides the traditional flavor of honey and various seeds, Hotteok has also introduced many trendy new flavors like cheese, matcha, etc. In Vietnam, Hotteok is quite popular among young people; you can easily find it in Hotteok stalls or buy ready-made ingredients to make it at home, which is also very delicious.
Honey and various seeds are the traditional flavors. (Photo: internet)
3. Red Bean Bun (Hoppang)
In South Korea, you can easily find Hoppang at convenience stores, but during the winter, people often prefer to visit shops – places where the buns are always hot and steaming.
Red Bean Bun (Photo: internet)
Red bean filling is the traditional flavor, but it can be varied according to taste preferences such as vegetable filling, curry filling, sweet potato filling, etc. And Hoppang will surely satisfy your appetite.
Buns with various flavors (Photo: internet)
4. Grilled Sweet Potatoes/Grilled Chestnuts
In South Korea, grilled sweet potatoes and grilled chestnuts are hailed as the quintessential winter snacks, the irreplaceable street foods. Koreans often use honey sweet potatoes for grilling to bring out the most delicious flavor.
Grilled sweet potatoes and chestnuts (Photo: internet)
Grilled sweet potatoes (Photo: Internet)
Grilled chestnuts (Photo: internet)
Not only delicious, grilled sweet potatoes and chestnuts also act as hand warmers to keep your hands warm in this cold weather.
5. Fish Cake Skewers
It can be said that fish cake skewers originated from Japan but they have been a street food in South Korea for quite some time. Usually, people would associate eating fish cakes with Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes), but during the winter, Koreans seek out fish cake skewers with clear soup.
Fish cake skewers (Photo: Internet)
Simply dip a piece of fish cake into soy sauce, take a sip of hot soup, and your body will feel much warmer.
(Photo: Internet)
6. Red Bean Porridge
In South Korea, there's a tradition of eating red bean porridge on Dongji, which is the day with the longest night of the year, signifying that from tomorrow, daytime will gradually increase. This also marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring.
Red bean porridge (Photo: internet)
In addition, Koreans also enjoy red bean noodle porridge, a type of Jeollado-style red bean porridge with noodles. Warm, soft, savory, and slightly sweet, red bean porridge is a perfect dish for winter.
Red bean noodle porridge (Photo: internet)
If you're unsure what to eat during the winter days, check out these dishes. We wish you a cozy winter!
Posted by: Madame Nine Afternoon
Keywords: Top 6 must-have delicious Korean dishes for the winter season
