Korean winter street food - Bungeobbang

Bungeobbang is a relatively cheap and warm food, so it is one of the street foods that is mainly sold in Korea in the winter. And Bungeobbang is a compound word of the words carp and bread.

type

Left - Bungeoppang, Right - Carp Bread

Bungeoppang is a snack shaped like a carp sold at street vendors. It looks similar to bungeoppang, but it is made with glutinous rice instead of flour and is called carp bread. Because carp bread is made from glutinous rice, it is thinner than bungeoppang and has a chewy and savory texture.

Bungeobbang is cooked by placing flour dough and toppings in a mold shaped like an iron carp and baking it.

Bungeobbang - Cooking method - Put the dough in a mold and bake

Bungeobbang is shaped like a fish and has carp or carp in its name, but it does not contain fish. Pizza toppings, sweet potato mousse, cream puffs, etc. are sometimes added to flour or glutinous rice dough. Among these, sweet red bean bungeobbang is the basic and most popular. The second popular flavor is cream puff.

price

As of December 2023, the value of 1 US dollar is approximately 1,300 won in Korean won. The basic unit for purchasing bungeoppang is usually 1,000 won and several pieces, so let’s assume it is 1 dollar.

Before the pandemic in 2021, it was common to buy 3 to 4 bungeoppang for 1 dollar, but now, due to the impact of inflation, you can buy 2 to 3 bungeoppang for 1 dollar. This is based on bungeoppang with sweet red beans inside, and bungeoppang with cream puffs or pizza toppings is a bit more expensive.

You can usually buy bungeoppang at traditional markets or on the side of the road, and sellers prefer cash rather than credit cards as a payment method. Sometimes, the seller may ask for cash deposit into a bank account.

psychological test

fish bread

There is a test to find out your psychology depending on where you start eating Bungeoppang.

• People who eat bungeoppang from the head have an optimistic and open personality and are stubborn. And they are more popular among friends of the opposite sex than those of the same sex.
• People who eat from the tail are cautious, delicate, and thoughtful people. You are the type of person who is surprisingly insensitive and cannot easily notice even if someone has a crush on you.
• People who eat bungeoppang by ‘splitting it in half’ have a strong competitive spirit and have the personality to accomplish whatever they set their mind to. Because of my inner timidity, I have difficulty turning down requests from friends and acquaintances.