The food encyclopedia

The ultimate combo meal at any Korean restaurant.

Chewy octopus in fiery gochujang sauce. Dangerous and delicious.

Spicy soup with fish roe and vegetables. Creamy and fiery.

Simmered for hours until milky white. Salt and pepper yourself.

Thin sliced pork in gochujang marinade with onions.

Chewy cartilage pieces in spicy sauce. Adventurous eaters only.

Marinated pork ribs grilled at the table.

Tender duck with vegetables. Sokcho specialty.

Clams, scallops, mussels grilled over coals at the beach.

Rice topped with seasoned fish roe. Creamy and salty.

Fresh hand-cut noodles in anchovy broth. Market classic.

The star ingredient. Cylinder-shaped and chewy.

Mixed battered-fried snacks. Squid, sweet potato, pepper.

Sweet potato noodles with vegetables and sesame oil.

Fluffy steamed eggs in a hot pot. Free side dish at many restaurants.

Milk-white broth simmered overnight. Clean, deep, salt-to-taste yourself.

Clear broth with tender beef ribs and glass noodles. Fancy but approachable.

Summer dish: noodles in blended soybean milk. Nutty, silky, cold.

Mountain-country naengmyeon cousin: chewy buckwheat, spicy sweet sauce.

Springy wheat noodles in sweet-hot sauce with veggies. Snack-bar royalty.

Juicy ground-beef patty under demi-glace. Old-school diner comfort.

Fried pork in glossy sweet-sour glaze. Dip it, don't pour it (or do).

Chicken with lemon-soy dip. Pub chicken, Korean-Chinese style.

Fire-red broth, squid, mussels, pork. The bolder jjajangmyeon partner.

Sour kimchi, rice, egg on top. Fridge-raid royalty.

Spicy-sweet gochujang pork over a mountain of rice. Lunch set king.

Plain rice rolls with spicy squid and radish sides. No filling, all balance.

Layers of egg with veggies or cheese, sliced into golden coins.

Crispy-bottomed dumplings. The late-night tteokbokki shop companion.

Crispy-edged mung bean pancake with pork and sprouts. Market royalty.

Grated potato, minimal batter, crispy gold. Dip in soy.

A spread of everything dipped in egg and fried. Holiday-table flex.

Chicken, potato, tteok in fiery soy-gochujang. Andong is the capital.

Silvery hairtail simmered in soy-kimchi broth. Jeju home cooking.

Raw beef, pear, sesame oil, egg yolk. Trust the good places.

Deep-fried pork skin, shatter-crisp. Beer's crunchy best friend.

Gelatinous braised trotters sliced thick, wrapped in lettuce.

The cheek cut: perfectly marbled, springy, grill-top favorite.

Crab, mussels, shrimp in red sauce. Share with four people minimum.

Korea's midnight religion: pot noodles, egg cracked in, leaf on top.

Glide-roasted tteok brushed in sweet-spicy sauce. Snack street's squeak.

Butter-grilled bread, egg, cabbage, sugar. Isaac chain or cart, both right.

Melted sugar and soda, stamped shapes. Squid Game made it famous.

Marmalade-like citron stirred into hot water. Cafés sell it cold too.

The iconic squat bottle. Convenience store childhood in liquid form.

Thick-cut pork belly grilled at the table, wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang.

Sweet-savory marinated beef, beginner-friendly and everywhere.

Earthy doenjang with tofu and clams. Grandma's favorite.

Spam, sausage, ramen, baked beans in spicy broth. Postwar history you can eat.

Rice, seasoned veggies, gochujang, egg — mix violently.

Korean-Chinese noodle with sweet blackbean sauce. Delivery icon.

Rice, egg, pickles rolled in seaweed. Picnic + road trip essential.

Battered, sugar-dusted, potato-cubed. Street snack gone global.

Hundreds of kinds — from 꿀떡 to 인절미. Holidays = tteok.

Custard (or red bean) in a fish mold. 'Eating the fish head first?' is a personality test.

Milk snow ice + red bean + fruit + condensed milk. Summer's answer.

Cloudy rice wine, fizzy and milky. Pairs with 전 (pancakes) on rainy days.