5 Dishes You Need To Try From Busan, South Korea

A lot of tourists already know a lot about Seoul. But have you ever been to Busan? Busan is the second largest city in South Korea and is way down south; about a three-hour bullet train ride from Seoul. It’s closer to Japan and it’s also the largest port city. Busan is really famous for its beaches and food! Many Korean people like to plan a trip there to go on a food spree. Here are some of the most famous dishes in Busan.

1. Yooboo Joomeoni (Fried tofu pocket)

Yooboo Joomeoni means fried tofu pocket. In a bowl of steaming broth and cuts of fish cakes, you can see two or three pockets of fried tofu filled with Japchae (Korean glass noodle dish). It’s savory and amazing during the cold days of Korean winter. You can also season it with some special soy sauce.

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2. Siat Hottuk (Korean fried pancake filled with seeds)

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Siat Hottuk is your usual Korean street-food Hottuk filled with lots and lots of seeds. There may be a variety of seeds but usually it’s sunflower seeds and a bit of sugar. It’s chewy and crunchy. They put it in a paper cup for you so you don’t burn your hands and tongue when it’s given to you straight from the oil!

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3. Bibim Dangmyeon

This is glass noodles mixed with special Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) sauce unique to each stall. It’s mixed with a few vegetables but it’s the glass noodles smothered in the sauce that makes it tasty. It’s one of the top dishes tourists try when they first set foot in Busan.

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4. Pork soup with rice

This is a little different than the stall snacks mentioned. It’s the famous Busan pork soup with rice! Usually it comes with rice inside the soup so that the rice has flavor already. The soup has generous portions of pig parts and lots of spring onions to keep the flavor fresh. Depending on what you like, you can season it with fermented shrimp (the main ingredient in most Kimchi)!

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5. Napjak Mandu (Flat Dumplings)

This is another stall snack famous in Busan. It’s basically dumplings, but made really flat. You can wrap some handmade Kimchi in it and eat it in one bite. You can enjoy so many flavors in one go. This dish is available near all the other dishes mentioned above at the ‘International Market’.

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What are your top five dishes from Busan?