Seoul – Gwangjang Market
“Korea’s Oldest Market and Street Food”

Korean food is such a big trend – and rightly so!
It’s delicious and good for you…

After all that exercise, who’s hungry? Korean street food is famous for being absolutely delicious, and we are keen to try a very popular, hearty Korean snack - tteokbokki. And the best place to have it is at the Shingdangdong Tteokbokki Alley. We also visit the Gwangjang Market - the oldest daily market in Korea. Here we sample some more street food, but also have a chance to do some shopping -- this market sells everything.

One thing Seoul is not short of is places to eat and with over 10 million people living here, you can well understand. I think a major part of travelling to another country is trying out the local food and in South Korea, you are spoilt for choice.

One thing every visitor here must do is head out for some authentic street food to sample the real taste of Korea and a great place to start is the Gwangjang Market.

Just east of downtown Seoul, Gwangjang Market, established in 1905, is Korea’s oldest remaining daily market offering both locals and those foreign tourists who are just discovering this quintessential Seoul experience. Running through the heart of the market are two crisscrossing corridors jam packed with booths, stalls, and storefronts offering a variety of traditional Korean street foods.

This is an authentic market famed for its food selection; in fact, many vendors from neighbouring markets actually head here just to buy their ingredients.
There are a number of local dishes you just have to try, starting with a mung bean pancake called bindaetteok. The first recorded mention of bindaetteok comes from a Korean cookbook written around 1670 so you know this is authentic. It was originally a food for commoners who couldn’t afford meat and is delicious.

The mung beans are ground up in constantly revolving stone pestles, churning out a thick paste, which is then mixed with bean sprouts, green onions, and garlic and poured into a fryer. What comes out is a thick, crispy disc with the texture of hash browns, but the taste is certainly different. There are even Bindaetteok flavoured with kimchi. You dip them in sauce – and they are just delicious.

Another signature dish of Gwangjang Market is soondae, which is made from cow or pig intestines that have been stuffed with various ingredients, usually cellophane noodles, barley, and pork blood soaked rice. The history of this dish goes back to cookbooks written in the 16th century, and it is one of the most popular street foods across the Korean Peninsula.

At the markets you must also try the desserts. There are two we recommend – 1) red bean pancake, and 2) red bean with milk ice (ka-pin-su). A great summer dessert.

The market is open from Monday through to Friday, but the best time to visit is late in the day. The gates stay open till 10pm.

For more information, visit english.visitkorea.or.kr