7-Day South Korea
Itinerary

Korean BBQ (Galbi & Samgyeopsal)

Korea's most social meal: charcoal or gas tabletop grills around which friends and families assemble to cook galbi (short ribs marinated in soy, sesame and Asian pear) and samgyeopsal (uncured pork belly); eaten by wrapping grilled meat in perilla or lettuce with ssamjang paste, kimchi and garlic; the act of grilling together and pouring each other's soju is central to Korean culture.

Bibimbap

Korea's most perfectly composed bowl: steamed rice topped with individually seasoned namul vegetables (spinach, fernbrake, bean sprouts, mushroom, carrot), sliced beef, a soft-fried egg and gochujang (fermented chilli paste) in a stone dolsot bowl that continues to cook the rice into a crispy bottom layer (nurungji); Jeonju is the designated bibimbap capital of Korea.

Tteokbokki

Seoul's most popular street food: chewy cylindrical rice cakes (tteok) and fish cakes simmered in a sauce of gochujang, gochugaru and anchovy broth until the sauce reduces to a sticky, spicy-sweet glaze; sold from pojangmacha (street food tents) in every neighbourhood; the heat level is calibrated by generations of Korean palates; comfort food at its most intense.

Kimchi

Korea's most defining food and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: napa cabbage fermented with gochugaru, garlic, ginger, salted fermented shrimp and spring onion in an ancient process called kimjang; over 200 regional varieties exist; the lacto-fermentation produces a probiotic, funky, pungent, crisp result that Koreans eat at every meal; the kimchi refrigerator is standard in every Korean home.

Japchae

Korea's most celebratory noodle dish: sweet potato glass noodles stir-fried in sesame oil with julienned vegetables (spinach, carrot, mushroom, onion) and beef, seasoned with soy and a touch of sugar; the glass noodles have a uniquely slippery, chewy texture; served at every Korean feast, birthday and new year celebration.

Haemul Pajeon

Busan's seafood pancake and Korea's greatest rainy-day food: a thick, crisp-edged batter of flour and egg packed with spring onion, squid, prawn and clam, pressed flat on a cast-iron pan and cooked until the base is golden and the seafood caramelises into the crust; dipped in a soy-vinegar sauce; the sound of rain, Koreans say, makes them crave pajeon.