Naengchae jokbal (냉채 족발)

Food-themed streets are aplenty in Busan. Near BIFF Square, a locals' favourite is Bupyeong-
dong’s Jokbal Golmok (부평동 족발 골목), or Pig Feet Alley, where a string of some 20 restaurants
sling naengchae jokbal, a dish of chilled pig feet. The porky peds are steamed with soy sauce,
ginger, garlic, scallions and a bit of sugar until tender, then de-boned and cut into thick slices. The
Busan variety is served cold with jellyfish and crab meat, and garnished with vegetables like
cucumber, carrot and onion – all awash in a mustardy sauce.

Despite the earthy origins of the porcine protein, partaking in a jokbal feast may be a boon for your
health. Pork contains methionine, an amino acid that’s claimed to counter the unpleasant effects of
alcohol and help nip hangovers in the bud. Packed with gelatin, jokbal boasts beauty-boosting
properties and is said to promote smooth, wrinkle-free skin (buying into all those K-beauty trends
just got a whole lot tastier). At any given jokbal joint, the dish runs about ₩30,000 and serves three
to four people.

Eomuk (어묵)
Fishcake, known as eomuk or odeng (오뎅), is commonplace in Korea – and the country’s very best
hails from Busan. The processed seafood staple is made from cuts of white fish that’s salted, pureed
and steamed until fully cooked. It’s then sliced and diced into myriad shapes and sizes before
assuming its place in dishes across the spectrum of Korean cuisine.
Across Busan, you’ll find the street food form of eomuk folded and skewered in pots of hot broth or
chopped up with other ingredients in a bowl of soup known as eomuk guk. You can also get tasty
and creative varieties that are enveloping some other form of protein (prawn, crab stick, sausage or
a hunk of cheese) at Samjin Fish Cake (삼진 어묵), the leading purveyor in the country. There’s a
flagship shop in Yeongdo, plus outlets in Busan Station, the Lotte Department Store in Seomyeon
and the Shinsegae Department Store in Centum City. Eomuk prices start at ₩500 for a street cart
skewer to upwards of ₩5000 for an elaborate creation at a Samjin shop.

Ssiat hotteok (씨앗 호떡)

Last but by no means least is ssiat hotteok, a dessert pancake and darling of the Busan street food
scene. While hotteok (the dough of which is typically made from sweet rice flour for a delightfully
chewy texture) can be sampled all over Korea, what sets the ssiat (seed) variety apart is a blend of
sunflower and pumpkin seeds and pine nuts that are stuffed into a cinnamon and brown sugar filling
when the pancake comes off the street cart griddle, crisp and piping hot.