Are you planning to visit Busan, Korea? I recently went to Busan for a trip and want to recommend five food you should try in Busan. Everyone has different tastes, so I want to make it clear that the food I'm suggesting may not suit your palate 100%.
1. 돼지국밥(Pork and Rice Soup, Dwaeji-gukbap)
돼지국밥 is soul food for Busan people. The broth is made of pig bones and served with pork inside. Because it's a hearty and filling dish, Korean people love eating it in the morning in particular.
Personally, I enjoy 돼지국밥 without pork intestines and 순대(Soondae, Korean black pudding), but some people prefer putting some intestines or Soondaes in the soup. It's all up to your preference.
How you eat it is as follows:
- Put some salted shrimp in the soup until the saltiness suits your palate.
- Put as many chives as you want. (I recommend you put as many of them as possible).
- Put some pepper paste in the soup to have a bit of kick in it.
- Put the served noodles in the soup after you have eaten half the food.
Although there are many good restaurants for Dwaeji-gukbap in Busan, I want to give you two good restaurants here in this post.
- 송정3대국밥(Songjeong Samdae Gukbap): 33, Seomyeon-ro 68beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea
- 소문난돼지국밥서면본점(Somunnan Dwaeji-gukbap Seomyeon Bonjeom): 38, Seomyeon-ro 68beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea
2. 밀면(Wheat Noodles, Milmyeon)
Wheat Noodles are another speciality of Busan. After the Korean War, the US army supplied Korean refugees from the North and South with a lot of flour. It is said that North Korean refugees who wanted to eat Naengmyeon(냉면, Cold Noodles) made the noodles with the flour supplied by the US army instead of buckwheat, which is the original ingredient for Naengmyeon.
There are two types of Milmyeon: 물밀면(Cold Milmyeon, Mul-milmyeon) and 비빔밀면(Spicy Milmyeon, Bibim-milmyeon).
Both Milmyeons are cold. The difference between them is whether it has cold stock or spice on top. Whatever you eat, the best combination to fully enjoy the food is you order 만두(Mandu, dumplings) as a side dish.
The Mul-milmyeon I had was a bit pungent because of the Korean herbal ingredients for the stock. If you are unfamiliar with this smell, you may not like it. I didn't like that smell so much, even as a Korean. On the contrary, the Bibim-milmyeon I ate was perfect. I highly recommend you try the spicy one.
Visit this restaurant
- 서면밀면(Seomyeon Milmyeon): 25, Seojeon-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea
3. 회국수(Raw Fish Noodles, Hoe-guksu)
회국수 has shredded raw rays, briefly soaked in vinegar to make bones soft. Mix well the noodles with the spicy sauce on top. You would chew some hard things in the dish, but those are chewable ray bones.
The noodles taste slightly spicy, sweet, savoury, and vinegary. The crunchy texture of veggies in the noodles also makes it more flavourful.
Visit this restaurant
- 회국수할매집(Hoe-guksu Halmaejip): 5, Seomyeonmunhwa-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea
4. 회(Raw Fish, Sashimi in Japan, Hoe in Korea)
You can't visit Busan and not eat raw fish. Eating raw fish in Busan gives you different sentiments from what you can get elsewhere. If you can speak Korean, I recommend you drop by 민락어민활어직판장 to buy some fish to go at reasonable prices.
I had one flatfish(광어, Gwangeo) and one rockfish(우럭, Ureok) for 25,000 won(appx. $19). And brought it to 민락수변공원 to eat the fish with beautiful views before my eyes. Eating hoe by the sea -- sitting on some paper as a mat and looking around the views -- was a special feeling.
I didn't have some veggies to go with the hoe, but I recommend you buy some lettuce, sesame leaves(깻잎, Ggaen-nip), and some garlic to relish the hoe fully.
Where to go
1. 민락어민활어직판장(Millak Eomin Hwal-eoh Jikpanjang) to buy fish:
60, Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 312beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea
2. 민락수변공원(Millak Subyeon Gongwon Park) to have a seat:
110-19, Millak-dong, Suyeong-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea
5. 돼지 갈비 후라이드(Fried Pork, Dwaeji-galbi Fried)
The restaurant's name is 깡돼후(Kkang-dwae-hoo). It is located in 부평깡통시장(Bupyeong Kkangtong Sijang Market) near 자갈치역(Jagalchi Station).
They sell fried pork rather than fried chicken, which tastes juicy, tender inside and crispy outside. I ordered 돼갈후라이드(Dwaegal Fried) in the smallest size, which comes without spice. The smallest size (소, Soh) was enough for one person.
I enjoyed the food dipping it in corn salad sauce, garlic cream sauce, and chilli sauce. It is recommended to buy the corn salad sauce to go with the food. It cost 1,000 won(appx. $1), while the garlic cream and chilli sauces came for free.
If you are up to trying a spicy one, order a 돼갈후 양념(Dwaegal Hu Yangnyeom). 양념 means condiment or seasoning. It comes coated with spicy red sauce.
Visit this restaurant
- 깡돼후(Kkang-dwae-hoo): 57, Bupyeong 1-gil, Jung-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea
WORDS BY
Minsu Kim - koreaonthescreen@gmail.com
PHOTOS BY
Minsu Kim - koreaonthescreen@gmail.com
@koreaonthescreen
@emeskei_
@koreaonthescreen
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