40+ Korean Food Names and Top Korean Dishes You Must Try (2022)
Are you an avid gourmet or enamoured with K-culture or do you want to know more Korean food names? If so, you might be familiar with delectable Korean dishes like ramen, japchae, BBQ, and kimchi and I think you should try it whenever you visit Korea.
In vivacious cities, you can find excellent Korean food names almost anywhere, from street vendors in small lanes to elegant restaurants within 5-star hotels.
Korean royal families have enjoyed many of these dishes solely for over 2,000 years.
Korean cuisine is now so well-known that both locals and visitors describe it as savoury, spicy, hearty, and nutrient-rich treats that can be savoured any time of day.
We’ve put up a list of the top Korean dishes that you just must try when visiting this beautiful nation.
Why is Korean Cuisine Widely Favoured?
In the 1990s, K-wave became increasingly popular. K-dramas were the first, and then K-movies and K-pop spread all over the world.
And today, it supports the globalisation of K-beauty and Korean cuisine and culture. And for this reason, over the past few years, Korean-style eateries have become increasingly popular on a global scale.
Korean food names are popular because of its high quality and delectable cuisine besides the rising trend of Korean culture.
Because they are bursting with tastes that will make you want to eat them at any moment, they are spicy, strong, tasty, and meaty.
They normally digest well since they are high in fibre. In addition, the sweet, sour, and tangy options satisfy a variety of palates.
Some of the world’s healthiest meals come from Korea. This is because it makes use of simple, low-oil-cooked fruits, vegetables, and meats.
Veggies, proteins, and very nutritious ingredients make up most Korean dishes. Noodles and rice both have a healthy amount of carbohydrates. All of this qualifies them as healthy.
Best Korean Dishes
Here is a list of Korean foods that you really must eat this year. A foodie needs to know a lot more about Korean cuisine than just the standard Kimchi and Korean BBQ meals.
1. Red RiceCcakes (tteokbokki)
Thick slices of garaetteok (boiled rice cake), fish cake, onions, sliced garlic, salt, sugar, and various veggies are stir-fried in sweet red chilli sauce to make tteokbokki, a classic Korean food street meal.
Tteokbokki, popular Korean food names, is a well-liked delicacy typically offered by independent snack bars and street vendors and is distinguished by its vivid red-orange ensemble.
2. Banchan
They typically serve the family of small side dishes known collectively as barchan with kimchi stew to start a traditional Korean meal. They remind me of Korean tapas, actually.
They are primarily made of fermented, steamed, marinated, or stir-fried veggies and are served in small amounts. However, certain Korean food names may also include meat or seafood.
3. Bibimbap (Rice Bowl)
If you get comfort from eating, bibimbap will leave you satisfied and at ease.
Rice, veggies, meat, gochujang (hot chilli paste), and a fried egg with soy sauce and sesame seeds are all delicious ingredients in bibimbap which is one of the Korean food names.
Bibimbap was initially developed as a royal cuisine, but over time it evolved into one of the most popular staple Korean meals for lunch.
4. Bulgogi – Barbecue Beef
The Goguryeo period saw the debut of Bulgogi. Maekjeok, one of the Korean food names, was the original name for this well-known Korean barbecue meal.
A BBQ party including Korean meat and a serving of crisp green salad is fantastic. To experience the heft of this dish, dunk a piece of beef in samjang sauce, wrap it in lettuce, and bite into it.
When beef is grilled, and carefully seasoned with spices will produce a pleasing aroma. The fragrant and soft streaks will quickly melt on your lips.
5. Gejang
Crabs are marinated in a sauce in Korean cuisine called gejang. The much hotter alternative to the conventional marinade, which is typically based on soy sauce, is known as yangnyeom gejang.
It is advised to cook it with female crabs since they are frequently laden with roe. The crabs are always alive when they are marinated.
6. Kimchi (김치)
This spicy and sour dish was a logical place to start since it is the national dish of Korea.
Kimchi, which is one of the Korean food names, had a modest beginning but now packs a tasty punch of spice and sourness.
Korean historians claim that the reason kimchi evolved in their nation was to preserve vegetables over the long winters.
What started as a necessity has evolved into a standard side dish in every Korean home.
an importantKimchi, a traditional Korean dish produced by salting and fermenting vegetables, has played an important role in popularising Korean food in the West.
7. Bossam–보쌈 (Pork Wraps)
Bossam is a pork dish that can amuse lots of people because eating it together fosters community.
The word’s literal meaning is “packed” or “wrapped.” The star of this dish, a chunk of cooked pork that has been expertly prepared, is the reason.
To improve the flavour, the cook will twine-wrap the pig and boil it with a variety of spices.
Dropping the hot pork into cold water to quickly chill it off is the proper approach to maintain the form. By pairing this sliced pork with several side dishes, Koreans enjoy Bossam.
8. Kimchi Jjigae–김치찌개 (Kimchi Soup)
We refer a sort of soup flavoured with fermented paste and produced from fermented vegetables to as jjigae. It can be consumed alone or with white steamed rice.
Korean napa cabbage is fermented to make kimchi, which is rich in probiotics and amino acids.
Kimchi, beef, and gochujang (fermented red pepper paste) are stewed together in a stone pot to create Kimchi Jjigae. These Korean food names are the ideal treatment for losing your appetite.
9. Japchae (Stir-Fried Glass Noodles)
Glass noodles are the main component of japchae, a dish that also includes meat, mushrooms, and a variety of other veggies.
Sweet potato is used to make these transparent, thin noodles.
Koreans consider it unpleasant to eat with a bowl so close to the mouth, unlike other Asian noodle dishes that are soupy. So they slurp these tasty noodles with a spoon and metal chopsticks.
10. Hangover Stew (해장국)
It is not unexpected that its hangover-curing culture is equally as developed, with a delicious selection of spicy and steaming stews and soups serving as both pre-drinking and post-drinking beverages.
Korean popular food names, hangover stew, are made with chunks of congealed oxblood, cabbage, bean sprouts, radish, and beef broth.
The dish’s deeply gratifying flavour works wonders to wake up your foggy mind in the morning.
11. Pajeon (해물파전)
It is impossible to miss the Korean pancake, which the Koreans also refer to as pizza. The variety with onions and fish is the most popular, but the kimchi pajeon is not to be missed.
The Pajeon, a dish that falls somewhere between an omelette and a pancake, is extremely excellent to enjoy with appetisers after a strenuous stroll.
12. Tteok-Galbi–Short Rib Patties
Galbi is a must-have if you’re looking for Korean food names. The wonderful flavour of these tantalising and delectable ribs will fascinate you.
This dish is available in Korea with either pork or chicken ribs.
Because it was a common dish for elderly persons with weak teeth, this well-known Korean delicacy was also known as “no-galbi,” which translates to “senior ribs.”
To serve with rice, the ribs are braised or grilled after being spiced so they absorb the flavours equally. When you serve this wonderful recipe, you’ll eat more rice.
13. Jajangmyeon
Jajangmyeon is a fusion dish of Korean and Chinese cuisine that uses thick handmade wheat noodles and is topped with raw cucumber slices, salty black soybean paste, chopped pork, and veggies.
This hearty noodle dish, which starts at 5,000 won, is excellent for when you need a quick dinner that won’t break the bank.
14. Hotteok (호떡)
A sweet and salty pancake is called a hotteok.
This syrupy pancake, which has a crispy surface and a soft centre, gets its tempting flavour from a sweet mixture that often consists of brown sugar, honey, chopped peanuts, and cinnamon.
On chilly winter days, people all around Korea eat it hot from the griddle and freshly prepared.
15. Dwaeji Gukbap
A well-known South Korean soup called dwaeji gukbap is prepared with pork, soy sauce, miso, rice wine, sesame oil, and bone broth.
When the soup is served, it is accompanied with a number of side dishes that can all be tossed into the steaming bowl of soup, including rice, shrimp, onions, noodles, kimchi, garlic, and green peppers.
16. Korean Coleslaw
The key component in this dish that creates a gorgeous colour and intriguing texture is the crunchy red cabbage.
For the dish’s sour and sweet dressing, use seasoned rice vinegar and soy sauce.
17. Samgyeopsal–Grilled Pork Belly
Samgyeopsals are other Korean food names at barbecues and picnics. When dipped into a sauce consisting of salt, pepper, and sesame oil, the flavour of the pork is improved.
For this meal, grilled garlic, onions, lettuce, and kimchi are necessary side ingredients. At Kaesong, samgyeopsal was first made in the early 20th century.
18. Patbingsu (Korean Shaved Ice)
What a gorgeous sweet delicacy from Korea! The major element that makes this dessert so exquisite is the creation of the ice mountains.
In Korea, Patbingsu is frequently topped with a variety of seasonal fruits. This delicacy is prepared for consumption with a few scoops of ice cream, fruit toppings, and sweetened condensed milk.
19. Odeng/Eomuk (오뎅)
It’s a form of fish pancake that’s served with fish broth and is available everywhere in the nation on the street and in markets, along with other fried dishes that may be consumed either standing up or seated.
20. Twigim – 야채튀김 (Korean Tempura)
Similar to how you might think of Japanese tempura, consider the Korean tigim. They are a crispy and airy version of deep-fried vegetables that are popular in Korea.
Despite being generally associated with fried vegetable sticks, the term “Twigim” really relates to the way these veggies are cooked.
21. Sannakji (산낙지)
The well-known sesame seeds and oil-seasoned raw octopus. Because the octopus is still moving when it is delivered, it can suffocate a person.
In fact, the tentacles can stick to the throat’s mucous membranes and do so. For this reason, medical professionals advise caution when consuming it. It can be made with other kinds of raw fish.
22. Chueotang
Pond loach, a species of freshwater mudfish, is used to make the soup known as chueotang. After being cooked in water until it is soft, the fish is sieved to get rid of all of its bones and skin.
Before being served in a soup with vegetables, mushrooms, fried tofu, rice, and noodles, the fish meat is boiled once more in beef or chicken broth and seasoned with gochujang, doenjang, grated ginger, and crushed black pepper.
23. Beondegi–번데기 (Boiled Silkworms)
This steamed or boiled Beondegi is another uncommon but not at all unpopular street snack that you may encounter in South Korea.
As soon as you get acclimated to the texture and flavour, these are genuinely fantastic. They have a rather robust flavour and will dissolve quickly in your mouth.
24. Chimaek–Fried Chicken
In almost all restaurants in Korea, chimaek is offered. Here, it is regarded as a national dish. When chewed, the deep-fried flour-fried chicken wings and thighs make a rustling sound.
25. Gomtang
Korean beef bone broth is referred to as gomtang or gomguk. It is prepared by simmering a variety of beef components, including brisket, oxtail, ribs, and bones, over a low heat.
A milky broth resembling seolnongtang is produced by the protracted simmering process. The soup is thickened with rice, and the broth can be taste-seasoned with salt and finely minced green onion.
Let’s eat every one of these delectable foods if you get a chance. You’ll enjoy their fantastic taste, I’m sure.
I still haven’t highlighted all the Korean food names that are out there. Please feel free to add any additional delicious foods you may know in the comments section.