The 8 Best Korean Food and Drink/Side Pairings You Should Try

Hey UoH friends! Here are the 8 best Korean food and drink & side pairings you should try when you visit Korea. It’s about one’s tastes and preferences, so we hope you get a chance to experience these combinations and find your favorite.

1. Chicken & Beer

Shortened as ‘Chimaek,’ it’s a pairing of fried chicken and beer. Korea is reported to have more than 27,000 franchises of fried chicken restaurants in 2020. It is obvious that Koreans’ love for crispy fried chicken is a popular food option, especially with bottled or draft beer!

2. Samgyupsal (Korean Pork Belly) & Soju

It’s a classic combination. Soju perfectly helps way away the greasiness of the pork belly.

3. Korean Scallion Pancakes & Makgeolli

Koreans say that they crave pancakes and Makgeolli especially on a rainy day. We do not know why; it feels like it has just become a culture! One reasonable reason is that the sound of rain reminds Koreans of the sound of making these pancakes.

4. Tteokbokki & Twigim (Deep fried foods)

Korean rice cakes cooked with spicy sauce are one of the most popular street snacks and foods. Pairing Tteokbokki with different types of Twigim (Korean deep-fried dumplings, vegetables, crispy seaweed noodles rolls) is a great combination. Twigim is crunchy and delightfully tasty.

5. Korean Cold Noodles & Soju

This combination is not the most popular. Korean cold noodle is a dish of chewy noodles made with buckwheat. Soju lovers think that soju goes extremely well with Korean cold noodles.

6. Dried Pollock Slice & Pepper, Soy Sauce, Mayonnaise

Dried pollocks have a great amount of chewiness and flavorous, and not too fishy. Dipping it into the pepper, soy sauce, and mayonnaise adds extra savoriness.

7. Songpyeon & Sikhye

Songpyeon is a traditional Korean rice cake that are traditionally eaten during the Korean autumn thanksgiving called Chuseok. Sikhye is a traditional sweet Korean rice beverage usually served as a dessert. The taste is well balanced and harmonious.

8. Sweet Potatoes & Kimchi

Because of this combination of food, people either like it or dislike it. We personally think it’s a good combination! Sweet potatoes contain a lot of potassium and it takes away sodium in our body. Eating it with Kimchi, it will add such components on top of the great taste!