country Essentials · 10 foods
North Korea Essentials
A considered first route through North Korea: the foods that carry its everyday habits, celebrations, ingredients, and memory.
Explore all North Korea foods →THE
ESSENTIALS
The complete shortlist
10 foods to know.
Each selection includes the reason it belongs here—so this is a guide, not just a pile of names.
Pyongyang, North Korea
Pyongyang Naengmyeon
평양냉면
Pyongyang's cold buckwheat noodles arrive in tangy broth with vinegar, mustard, and long uncut strands.
Pyongyang, North Korea
Sungeo-guk
숭어국
Grey mullet from the Taedong River makes a clear Pyongyang soup with a distinctive local freshwater flavor.
Kaesong, North Korea
Bossam Kimchi
보쌈김치
Kaesong's flower-opening kimchi bundle hides fruit, chestnuts, and pine nuts inside folded cabbage leaves.
Pyongyang, North Korea
Injo Kogi
인조고기
Soybean sausage is a named Pyongyang street food born from North Korea's need for creative protein.
North Korea
Kajami Shik'ae
가자미식해
Fermented flounder with grain and aromatics is a pungent North Korean preservation specialty for adventurous tasters.
Kaesong, North Korea
Pyonsu
편수
Square Kaesong mandu filled with seasoned meat and vegetables keeps a shape unlike round or crescent dumplings.
Pyongyang, North Korea
Taedonggang Beer
대동강맥주
Pyongyang-brewed Taedonggang lager is the country's named packaged beer and a familiar restaurant pour.
North Korea
Kongbap
콩밥
Rice cooked with beans supplies a plain, nourishing North Korean staple at breakfast and everyday meals.
Kaesong, North Korea
Kaesong Ginseng
개성인삼
Kaesong's Koryo ginseng is a named local crop prized for its aroma and traditional tonic uses.
Pyongan, North Korea
Eobok Jaengban
어복쟁반
Pyongan pressed beef is sliced from a banquet-style brass plate and represents the region's refined cooking.