Korean summers are brutally hot. Fortunately, you can consume foods and drinks that’ll help you survive the heat. However, with such a wide variety of beverages and dishes to try it might be hard to find something you like. Fortunately for you, I’ve compiled this list of the top 10 Korean foods and drinks to try this summer.
Table of Contents
1. Bingsu
If you love ice cream then you’ll enjoy this shaved ice dessert, which can include a variety of toppings such as fruit, nuts, milk chocolate and green tea. However, the most common type of this dish is Pat-bingsu, which is red bean shaved ice. Head over to any café to get your hands on this sweet treat!
2. Bibim Naengmyeon
Bibim-Naengmyeon literally translates to ‘cold mixed noodles’, and that’s basically what it is – it’s sometimes even served with ice! The translation forgets to mention that the noodles are spicy, however, so if you can’t take hot food then you should skip this dish (or ask for it to be made less spicy).
3. Mul Naengmyeon
This is similar to the dish above, as it’s noodles served in a chilled broth made of Korean water radish kimchi or beef. It’s also not spicy which makes it a great alternative to Bibim Naenmyeon for those who can’t tolerate spicy food.
4. Oi Naengguk
‘Oi’ means ‘cucumber’ and ‘naengguk’ means ‘chilled/cold soup’ so this dish is basically a cold cucumber soup. It also contains seaweed and is made with cold water and vinegar, which gives it a great tangy taste.
Other similar types of ‘naengguk’ you can also eat during the summer are Miyeok Naengguk, made with wakame, Gim Naengguk, made with seaweed and Pa Naengguk, made with spring onions. There are also less tangy ‘naengguk’ made with ingredients such as chicken, soybeans and sesame.
5. Samgyetang
Samgyetang (or Ginseng Chicken Soup) may not cool you down in the summer, but it’s useful to eat as it’s thought to replenish your energy. This is thanks to its healthy and nourishing ingredients, which include a whole young chicken, garlic, jujube, rice, and ginseng.
6. Memil Guksu
Memil Guksu or Buckwheat Noodle Soup is a delicious and light meal to eat in the summer. Its broth is made mostly of dried anchovy (myeolchi) and it’s served with cucumbers, kimchi, meat and vegetables. It can also be eaten warm during the winter months.
7. Kalguksu
As the name implies, Kalguksu (Knife-cut Noodle Soup) is made of knife-cut, wheat flour noodles, a broth made of anchovies, shellfish, kelp or chicken and other ingredients like potatoes and scallions.
It’s perfect for both the summer and winter – you can specifically ask for Naeng Kalguksu in the summer as this is specifically a cold or iced version of the dish.
8. Hwachae
Hwachae is a traditional Korean punch made with fruits and flower petals, which are soaked in honeyed magnolia berry juice or honeyed water. Carbonated drinks and pine nuts are often added to the punch, too.
There are various kinds of hwachae such as Omija-hwachae (Magnolia Berry punch) or Aengdu-hwachae (Cherry Punch), but the most popular one to drink in the summer is Subak-hwachae (Watermelon Punch) because of its refreshing qualities.
9. Omija Tea
Omija literally means “five flavour berries”, so this iced tea (also known as Schisandra or Schizandra tea) is made of berries that have five different flavours: sweet, pungent, sour, salty and bitter. You can also use the berries in alcoholic beverages or fruit punch.
It’s also used in oriental medicine as it’s great for the skin and helps improve liver and kidney function, among other things.
10. McCol
This soft drink, first released in 1982, is a type of barley coke. It used to be really popular after it first was created, but now it doesn’t really have much presence in Korea, which makes it kind of unique.
Some say it tastes like beer without the alcohol, so if you’re a beer fan then you’ve got to just give McCol a try!
Conclusion
As you’ve seen, there are plenty of tasty dishes and beverages to help you survive the sometimes unbearable Korean summer. I hope they help you!
