Seosan
Eori guljeot (salted oysters)
Oysters salted, then dressed with chilli powder. Eaten in small amounts as a side dish.
Regional food guide
What to eat in South Chungcheong
Written by hand, not generated. Dishes, markets, timing and prices for South Chungcheong.
Chungnam has both West Sea tidal flats and broad farmland, so salted seafood, oysters and shellfish sit alongside grain-based cooking. Each county has its own speciality, which means what you eat changes sharply depending on where you are headed.
What people eat here
Start with the local defaults
Seosan and Taean
Gegukji
A stew of crab and aged kimchi, descended from the preserving habits of the tidal flat villages.
Taean
Ureok jeotguk
A clear soup made from dried rockfish, eaten as a hangover cure.
Byeongcheon, Cheonan
Byeongcheon sundae
Blood sausage made with small intestine, served with soup and rice.
Hongseong and Yesan
Grilled hanwoo beef
Cattle country, so butcher-restaurants where you buy the meat and grill it on the spot are common.
Where the food is
Markets, streets and harbours
Yesan Market Gukbap Street
Inside the traditional market in Yesan-eup, ox-head soup and noodle houses cluster around a recently rebuilt market square with plenty of seating. With Sapgyo tripe nearby, it is the main food market of Yesan.
Restaurants nearby
Anmyeondo, Taean
A coastal stretch of autumn prawn and grilled shellfish restaurants.
Restaurants nearby
Hongseong Namdang Port
On Cheonsu Bay, Namdang Port is known for autumn prawns and winter cockles. The restaurants along the harbour hold seasonal festivals.
Restaurants nearby
Daecheon Port Fish Market
At the fish market in Daecheon Port, Boryeong, you buy blue crab, webfoot octopus and pen shell and pay a table fee to eat next door. Next to Daecheon Beach, it is busiest in summer.
Restaurants nearbyCheonan Byeongcheon Sundae Street
A sundae (Korean blood sausage) street next to Cheonan's historic Auraji market, born in the 1960s when a local ham factory spurred pork-offal sundae shops that grew into a nationally famous cluster.
Restaurants nearbyAsan Onyang Hot Spring Market
A large traditional market by Onyang Hot Springs in Asan, with a five-day market on 4s and 9s known for ox-head gukbap and mulgalbi.
Restaurants nearby
Gongju Sanseong Market
A traditional market established in 1937 beneath Gongsanseong, Baekje's royal fortress; legend says the injeolmi rice cake got its name here when King Injo praised it during his wartime refuge.
Restaurants nearby
Seosan Ganwol-do Eorigulgeot Village
A fishing village on Seosan's Ganwol-do known for eorigulgeot, spicy salted oysters said to have been a royal tribute in the Joseon dynasty; its beach holds Korea's first monument dedicated to a food.
Restaurants nearbyWhen to go
- Oysters are in season from November to February.
- Prawns are best around Anmyeondo in September and October.
- The Ganggyeong market is busiest during kimchi-making season, November and December.
Worth knowing
- 1If you are combining a visit with mudflat activities, check the tide table first — it will otherwise collide with your meal times.
- 2Parking along the coast is very hard during prawn season.
- 3Butcher-restaurants charge a table fee on top of the price of the meat.
- 4Salted seafood is heavily salted. If you are buying it as a gift, ask how to store it.
What it costs · Per person, roughly
Blood sausage soup runs around KRW 9,000; for beef, expect butcher prices plus a table charge of KRW 4,000-6,000 per person.
South Chungcheong
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