Introduction to Korean Food: Eat Like Your Idols!

Written by Maddie F. (Mar 18th, 2026)

If you're a new or longtime fan of K-POP, you'll surely have noticed that Koreans love their food. So much so that when K-POP artists go abroad for tours, they'll search for a Korean restaurant to go eat at! Do you want to try Korean food too, but don't know where to start? Let this article be your guide to the wonderful world of Korean food.

Korean BBQ

Korean BBQ is a great introduction to the world of Korean food, as you can try familiar and new tastes all in one sitting. Korean BBQ is a great social food too, as it is all cooked around a shared pan or grill, so bring your friends or family along for the experience as well.

Korean BBQ usually centres around meat, such as steak, pork belly or sometimes chicken. You order a portion of meat, which is served raw, for you to cook in front of you on the grill. This allows you to cook the meat how you like and have it hot and fresh as soon as it is ready.

You usually eat the meat alongside a bowl of rice and stew, such as doenjang jjigae (soybean stew), which has a savoury, soy flavour, or kimchi jjigae, a spicier soup using kimchi, which is fermented cabbage in spices.

In addition to this, you also get banchan, which are side dishes. These can be a variety of things, but commonly they are different kinds of kimchi, such as cabbage or cucumber, soy sauce onions, sweet potato noodles with vegetables, and so much more. This gives you a great introduction to the different ingredients and flavours used in Korean food.

Ramen

K-POP idols often need to eat something quick and on the go in-between their busy schedules. Many go to convenience stores to get a quick bite to eat, and a popular choice for lunch or dinner is instant ramen.

Instant ramen is a tasty snack or dinner, and comes in many different flavours, such as the classic spicy ramen, soy sauce ramen, or even carbonara ramen. Some idols have even become famous for having their own ramen recipes, such as BTS' Jungkook, whose recipe includes combining Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen, Neoguri Spicy Seafood Ramen, sesame oil and a fried egg.

If you're not used to spice, just add a little of the sauce packet to get yourself used to the heat.

Tteokbokki

Now you're introduced to a few Korean dishes and getting used to the spice of Korean food, it's time to move onto tteokbokki, one of the most popular street foods in Korea.

Tteokbokki is a spicy, warming street food made from rice cakes and a gochujang sauce. Gochujang means red pepper paste, and it is used to give the sauce that signature red colour. You can also mix the rice cakes with fish cakes, which are flat and chewy. Some also add hard-boiled eggs, onions or spring onions, and fried dumplings to the mix.

Tteokbokki may be a new texture to some, with its chewy, stretchy, gnocchi-like texture – but it's a texture many find addictive.

Now you're well on your way to exploring more of what Korean food has to offer. I hope this article has proved to be a useful start to your journey.