South Korea is home to many food trends. Remember when everyone *tried* making dalgona coffee? How about when we started ordering Korean cream cheese garlic bread online? Did you also cook your chicken the Korean way? Of course, we can't forget the Honey Butter Chips (fun fact: There's a cherry blossom-flavored version)! Koreans are really innovative when it comes to food in the past years and 2021 is no different. So, we rounded up all the current food trends in South Korea *so far* that we would love to try.
2021 Korean Food Trends
1. Rose tteokbokki
Ah, the infamous tteokbokki. You've seen these log-shaped rice cakes in K-dramas and it's often served spicy. It's a favorite dish among Koreans, and they even voted it as the best comfort food amid the pandemic! For those who are not into spicy dishes, there's the rose tteokbokki—it's still made with gochujang (Korean red chili paste) and a bit of gochugaru (Korean chili powder), but toned down with heavy cream and milk. Once cooked, it becomes a savory and creamy feast with just the right amount of heat! Aside from tteokbokki, Koreans are cooking other dishes the rose way, including pasta and donkasseu.
2. Croiffle
What happens when you bake a croissant using a waffle maker? It becomes a croiffle! This pastry trended in South Korea last year and it's still a favorite until now. It's sold on street food stalls and Korean coffee shops, and has sweet and savory options. You can also have croiffles at home: Just pop ready-to-bake croissants (you can also make them from scratch, ofc) in your waffle maker. Top them with fruits, ice cream, ham and cheese, whatever you like, and voila—you can now imagine yourself inside a Korean cafe. *wink*
3. Jellies
Koreans love their jellies: From the ~usual~ bear-shaped ones to sour belts, you'll find them snacking on these. Lately, there are new jelly trends and we've seen them on TikTok! This includes the Trolli Blue Planet and Trolli Glotzers. There's also the fruit-shaped jelly, which you can probably find in your local supermarket (we remember this as our childhood dessert!).
4. Mint chocolate
Not everyone is a mint chocolate fan but South Korea has a strong following for this flavor. In fact, those who love it are called minchodan or mint chocolate army! We know there's mint chocolate ice cream, but have you heard of mint choco latte (the instant coffee type)? How about mint chocolate soju? Surprise, there's mint chocolate-covered fried chicken, too! It looks like this new craze won't fade anytime soon: The Korea Herald has reported that Starbucks Korea sold more than 500,000 cups of their Mint Chocolate Chip Blended Drink in just two weeks! Although some may raise their eyebrows with this food trend, we're totally curious and excited to try it.
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