K-Food in Winter

If you're coming to Korea this winter, don't miss out on these must-try winter delicacies! During the cold season, locals enjoy hearty soups and stews made with a variety of flavorful ingredients. Check out these top 6 soup dishes Koreans rave about—plus some delicious Korean snacks! 🥘

Galbitang is a clear soup made with boiled beef short ribs. Each restaurant has a slightly different recipe, with some places adding dangmyeon (glass noodles) to the soup. Since there are bones in the soup, it's best to eat the meat first, then mix in the rice after. Having it with Kimchi adds a extra kick.

Seolleongtang is a broth-based dish made by slow-simmering ox bones and seasoning with salt. The soup is both clean and rich, so you don't need to worry about feeling bloated. Locals usually add Kkakdugi (diced radish Kimchi) liquid or Dadaegi sauce (chili sauce) to the soup to create rich broth.

Gamjatang is a soup made by boiling pork neck and backbones. It's spicy and thick because of the spicy seasoning. It's popular among foreign tourists because of the tender meat and flavorful broth. It's also fun to pick out the meat that's nestled between the bones.

Gukbap is a traditional Korean dish, in which rice is mixed into the soup, and they were mostly enjoyed by working class people. Depending on what ingredients you put in the dish, it can turn into Sundae Gukbap (sundae rice soup), Kongnamul Gukbap (bean sprout rice soup), or Dwaeji Gukbap (pork rice soup). These days, they're popular among locals as well as tourists.

Sundubu jjigae is a soup made by boiling soft tofu and seasonings mixed together. Because tofu is rather bland, this jjigae is more heavily seasoned than other stews. It also complements a variety of ingredients, including seafood, beef, perilla seeds, and jjolmyeon (chewy noodles).

Miyeokguk is a traditional home-cooked dish served on special occasions such as birthdays. To achieve a smooth and rich flavor, the seaweed is stir-fried in sesame oil before you boil. Fun fact: Eating seaweed on exam days is considered bad luck because it's slippery.

In the past, Koreans used to eat patjuk on the day of the winter solstice because they thought that the red beans could chase away evil spirits or bad luck. Red bean porridge is made with glutinous rice poured into boiled water with red bean. Why not try a bowl of soul-warming patjuk during cold winter?

During winter, you can easily find food stalls selling bungeoppang. There are two types: one filled with sweet red bean paste and another with vanilla cream. They typically cost KRW 2,000 to 3,000 for three pieces, and you can choose your preferred flavor. While cash was traditionally required, more stalls now accept credit cards.

Hoppang (호빵) is said to derive its name from the sound 'ho-ho' (호호), which mimics either the sound of laughter or the puffing breath used to cool something hot. Traditionally filled with sweet red bean paste, hoppang is incredibly soft and creamy, with a smooth, grain-free texture. Other flavors include vegetable, pizza, and minced meat, and they're a perfect winter treat for both kids and adults.

Sujeonggwa is one of Korea's traditional winter delicacies, often enjoyed alongside gamju (감주), a sweet-flavored traditional Korean drink. To make sujeonggwa, simmer ginger, cinnamon, and sugar together, then top it off with dried persimmons stuffed with chopped walnuts for a final touch.