Guide to indulging in winter street food

With the freezing cold season approaching, the craving for hot street food grows.

Seoul’s street food is perfect for warming the soul. Get some cash ready, put on a coat and head to Myeong-dong to fill your belly.

Street food in Myeong-dong is simply amazing. For those who enjoy spicy stuff, it’s like paradise. What is happiness, if not this?

Vendors get ready around 4 p.m., and people start visiting them around 5 p.m.

Hotteok (Sugar-filled griddlecake)

If the country’s frosty temperatures are hard to bear, grilled hotteok will certainly make outdoor adventures more exciting.

Biting into the sugar-filled pancakes releases hot, gooey syrup that quickly fills your mouth with sweetness. 

Bungeo bbang (Fish-shaped pastry)

Bungeo bbang gets its name from its shape. Don’t worry, there is no fish in it.

The fish-shaped pastry is filled with sweet red bean paste and is typically sold in groups of three or four.

Whether you start with the crispy tail or the head, a bite of bungeo bbang is sure to leave you happy. 

Gunbam (Roasted chestnuts)

Signboards saying “Roasted Chestnuts” may spark nostalgia among those familiar with Nat King Cole’s “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.”

This song comes to life during the winter season in Korea, when roasted chestnuts, called gunbam in Korean, are sold on the streets across the country.

Diving into the street food scene may be a shortcut to understanding the country and its culture. Be prepared to enjoy some delicious Korean street food.

By Park Jun-hee (junheeep97@heraldcorp.com)