WHAT ARE SOME TRADITIONAL KOREAN SNACKS?
You may be wondering what are some traditional snacks to devour when you’re visiting Seoul?
Korea is a land of delicious food! Everywhere you go, you can grab a kimbap or bowl of kimchi stew or tofu stew at your convenience. However, why don’t we go deeper with the foods available in South Korea. Some of these traditional snacks are based upon the history of Korea (royal palaces and dynasties). So if you don't want to miss out on the traditional Korean snacks that are only available in Korea, check this out!
Yakgwa
Yakgwa honey cookie. Yakgwa is shaped like a flower, and it is meant to have health benefits due to the sweetness that comes from honey. Yakgwa is a combination of two words, yak meaning medicine & gwa meaning sweet. This cookie is composed of simple ingredients: rice wine, honey, ginger, and sesame oil, and it is made from deep-frying. This snack is traditionally eaten during Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and weddings.
Gangjeong
It is a sweet rice puff, and it looks very similar to yogurt bars or the rice krispies treats. This traditional dessert is shown to have origins from a Chinese snack called sachima. Ganjeong comes in multiple flavors as some are filled with nuts, seeds, or pieces of dried fruits.
Songpyeon
They are called pine rice cakes. These are Korean rice cakes which are also known as tteok. It is a very popular snack to eat during chuseok. Songpyeon is meant to symbolize wealth and prosperity that is why many families come together during Chuseok and make this dish together. The filling inside is made out of red bean paste, and it comes in multiple different colors. These colors are made through natural ingredients: cinnamon, mugwort, etc. The reason they're called pine rice cakes is because the rice cake is steamed on a layer of pine needles. The traditional songpyeongs come in a half-moon shape, so don’t forget to grab it!
Gukhwappang
This is called Chrysanthemum bread. It looks like a flower, but it does not taste like a flower at all. The taste & texture is similar to Japanese taiyaki. This is available in Insadong, which is a very popular place for tourists to visit. They sell this bread with red bean filling and sometimes honey and peanut filling as well!
