Snacking in Seoul

In addition to all the great restaurants we dined at during our travels to Seoul, Korea, I also had a chance to grab snacks along the way.  Check out what I ate!

1. Dragon’s Beard Candy

Dragon's Beard Candy is a highly prized sweet within the Korean royal court. It has been described as an old-fashioned candy characterized by a "rich, sweet flavor" with a threaded, chewy texture. Its appearance resembles that of a white cocoon or pillow shape and can be filled with different nuts, but we chose the almond filling.

2. Street Food: Insadong

There are many food vendors along this well-known traditional street that represents the "culture of the past and the present". Try the kimbap (seaweed that’s filled with rice, a few pickled veggies and a slice of egg or meat), mandu (dumplings), twigim (tempura battered vegetables), ddukkbokki (spicy rice cake), or skewered meats.

3. Street Food: Naemdaemun Market

Looking for something a little more adventurous? There are even more street eats in Namdaemun Market, which is a large traditional market in Seoul. The market is located next to Namdaemun, the "Great South Gate," which was the main southern gate to the old city. Pigs feet anyone?

4. Yeot
Yeot is a simple candy sold by street carts in front of many popular tourist sights.  There are several variations.  Hobakyeot (pumpkin candy) is made by carving out the insides of a pumpkin or squash and steaming the contents until it is soft. The squash is then boiled with sugar, glutinous millet, corn syrup, rice and nuts, in an earthenware pot.  Before the candy settles, the pieces are cut into blocks as seen in the picture above. When the candy hardens, it feels like rock candy. Similar looking to the pumpkin candy is boriyeot (barley peanut candy).  Made in the same fashion but with ground peanuts and barley powder, it has a softer texture like that of taffy and is not overly sweet.   The taffy version of yeot can be found prepackaged and sold in stores.

5. Hoddukk

The dough for hoddukk is made from wheat flour, water, milk, sugar, and yeast. The dough is allowed to rise for several hours. Handful-sized balls of this stiff dough are filled with a sweet mixture, which may contain brown sugar, honey, chopped peanuts, and cinnamon. The filled dough is then placed on a greased griddle, and pressed flat into a large circle with a special tool with a stainless steel circle and wooden handle as it cooks. This round bread shaped like a small pancake is a common treat sold on the streets of Seoul.

6. Red Bean Candy

While waiting to board our flight at Incheon Airport, we had a few Korean Won left over. Keith went to the gift shop and found a "chocolate bar" to use up the last of his change. But when he opened it up, it was actually a gelatin type bar made from red bean paste.