💎 What you'll learn in this post
You'll discover the top 10 favorite foods among Koreans, including the popular dish tteokbokki and its leading franchise brands. You'll also learn expressions related to Korean food culture.
📌 Heads up before you read
In this article, [ ] indicates the actual pronunciation.
Overnight Sensation Words
⚡ Frequency of use by K-pop fans
★★★★★
⚡ Frequency of use in general
★★★★★
🎁 Essential insights into Korean culture
Must-Know Korean Culture
두끼(DOOKKI) 떡볶이[tteok-ppo-kki]
DOOKKI is a DIY [tteok-ppo-kki] restaurant where you can enjoy delicious [tteok-ppo-kki] made right in front of you using a variety of fresh ingredients. DOOKKI gives everyone the freedom to create their own unique [tteok-ppo-kki] with tons of different ingredients, including noodles, vegetables, and fried treats. There is literally no one in Korea's younger generation who doesn't know about this place.
맵찔이 [maep-jji-ri]
Someone who can't handle spicy food
This is a casual expression often used among friends and close acquaintances, usually people in their teens to 40s. Of course, some young-at-heart people in their 50s and older also use it. 😜
[maep-jji-ri] is a trendy slang term that combines two different words:
✅ 맵다[maep-dda]: spicy, hot
✅ 찌질이[jji-ji-ri]: loser
While [jji-ji-ri] carries the meaning of 😱 loser, it has a more playful, teasing vibe, similar to how 😱 loser might be used in English in a casual, joking way.
Just like you wouldn’t casually call someone older than you a 😱 loser, you should only use [jji-ji-ri] with close friends or people you feel comfortable with.
꿀팁 [kkul-tip]
Some super useful and valuable infomation
This word started out as slang, but it has become so common that it's now part of everyday conversation, so we highly recommend that you remember it.
[kkul-tip] is a word that combines ✅ 꿀[kkul] (honey) and ✅ 팁[tip] (tip). Just like eating sweet honey makes you feel good and happy, it means important information that makes you feel sweet and happy.
🎁 Now, let us share a [kkul-tip]
from our KONOGRAM edutainers about DOOKKI!
Adding lots of 양배추[yang-bae-chu] (cabbage), 대파[dae-pa] (green onions), and 양파[yang-pa] (onions) enhances the richness of the broth when making stock.
Items like 야끼만두[ya-kki-man-du] (fried dumplings), 김말이[kim-ma-ri] (fried seaweed rolls), and 순대[sun-dae] (blood sausage) are delicious on their own, but try dipping them in the [tteok-bbo-kki] for an extra flavor kick.
When making [tteok-bbo-kki], adding 2/3 ladles of the broth provided along with 1/3 ladle of 어묵탕[eo-muk-tang] (fish cake soup) gives it an even deeper flavor.
황금 레시피 [hwang-geum-re-si-pi]
Precious recipe
This word started as slang, but like [kkul-tip], it has become so common that it's now part of everyday language, so we highly recommend that you remember it.
[hwang-geum-re-si-pi] is a word that combines ✅ 황금[hwang-geum] (gold) and ✅ 레시피[re-si-pi] (recipe).
It means a recipe so valuable that it’s as precious as gold—a precious recipe comparable to something as expensive as gold.
🎁 Let us share
our KONOGRAM edutainer’s [hwang-geum-re-si-pi]
for mixing DOOKKI’s various sauces!
1️⃣+2️⃣+3️⃣ =
1️⃣ 1 tablespoon DOOKKI sauce +
2️⃣ 2 tablespoons Busan sauce +
3️⃣ 1/2 tablespoon curry sauce
🚨 Caution: Among the various sauces, the 동대문 소스(Dongdaemun sauce) is particularly spicy, so 맵찔이[maep-jji-ri] should be careful!!!
🔥 Boosting Korean Knowledge
Eat more?
Of course! Even when I'm full, I can't skip this!
Korean Dessert, 볶음밥[bo-kkeum-bap] (Fried Rice)
Rice as dessert?
You just had a full meal, and now you're having more rice as dessert?
In Korean food culture, there is a unique concept of finishing a meal with [bo-kkeum-bap] (fried rice). Especially when cooking on a hot plate, fried rice is almost always a must.
Koreans often enjoy a meal with soup or sauce, and even when they’re stuffed, they use the leftover soup or sauce to make fried rice at the end. It’s an interesting tradition where, no matter how full you are, mixing the rice with the sauce and frying it is essential to feel like the meal is truly complete—even if it’s just one more bowl of rice!
💬 Real Korean Expressions in Conversation
👩🦰: I'm a [maep-jji-ri].
나 맵찔이야.
→ I can’t handle spicy food.
👨🦱: Me too, I'm a [maep-jji-ri]. I wish I could eat spicy food better.
나도 맵찔이야. 매운 걸 잘 먹고 싶어. 😰
오늘은 치즈 메뉴 어때? 왜냐하면 내가 먹고 싶어 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
👩🦰: When you eat something spicy, try having it with milk. It’s a [kkul-tip].
매운 음식 먹을 때, 우유랑 같이 먹어봐. 꿀팁이야.
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