Seoul · Myeongdong
Myeongdong Kalguksu Houses
Cluster of noodle restaurants serving hand-cut kalguksu with dumplings and famously garlicky kimchi.
Noodles · ₩
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Traditional Food
Kimchi
Korean name: 김치 · kimchi
What is it?
Fermented napa cabbage with chilli, garlic and salted shrimp — served at every meal.
Taste & texture
Sour, salty, spicy and crunchy; it gets more sour as it ferments.
How to enjoy it
Served free as a side dish with almost every meal and refilled on request.
Ingredients & preparation
Most often napa cabbage salted and seasoned with gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce or salted shrimp.
Traveler tips
Usually contains seafood-based seasoning, so it is not always vegetarian. There are hundreds of regional varieties.
Where to try it
Every table in Korea; museums in Seoul explain the hundreds of regional types.
historyfoodievegetarian-friendly
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