Dakgangjeong in a sweet and spicy glaze · Photo: Ajumeoni / CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
KoreaIncheonDakgangjeong at Sinpo International Market: From a Port-Era Vegetable Market to a Snack Destination
At Incheon's Sinpo International Market, you will see plenty of people carrying boxes of dakgangjeong, crispy chicken glazed in a sweet and spicy sauce. Here is the market's history since the port-opening era, its signature snacks, and tips for queuing and eating on the go.
A Market That Once Sold Vegetables to Foreigners
Sinpo International Market in Incheon's Jung-gu is said to have started as a place selling high-quality vegetables to the Japanese, Chinese and Western residents who settled here after the port opened in the late 19th century. Small shops gathered during the Japanese colonial period and kept it going, and it was officially registered as a market in 1970. With Incheon Port's international passenger terminal nearby, it drew travellers and small-scale traders arriving by car ferry and cruise ship, and that is where the "International" in its name comes from. Today it still sells everyday groceries such as grain, meat, fish and fruit, but it is better known as a place where travellers stop for snacks.
The 1970s, When "If Sinpo Doesn't Have It, No One Does"
In the 1970s Sinpo Market was so prosperous that people said, "If Sinpo Market doesn't have it, it doesn't exist in Korea." Goods of every kind came in through the port, and nearby Dong-Incheon and Sinpo-dong were Incheon's busiest streets. When Incheon City Hall moved elsewhere in the mid-1980s, however, the city's centre shifted and the market lost momentum for a while. In the meantime, new foods appeared here and became the market's calling card. A TV documentary described jjolmyeon, dakgangjeong and five-colour dumplings as foods that emerged in the Sinpo area, and many people now visit the market specifically to try them. There is no confirmed record of exactly when or by whom dakgangjeong was first made, though, so it is most accurate to think of it as "Sinpo's signature snack".
What Is Dakgangjeong?
Dakgangjeong is bite-sized fried chicken tossed in a sticky sauce of corn syrup or rice syrup mixed with gochujang, soy sauce and garlic. The name comes from gangjeong, a traditional puffed-rice sweet coated in syrup, since the fried chicken is coated in a sweet glaze in much the same way. The sauce sets around the batter like a shell, so its biggest selling point is that it stays crisp for a long time and does not go soggy even when cold. That makes dakgangjeong a snack you can carry around in a box or take back to your hotel, unlike fried chicken that is best eaten straight from the fryer. At Sinpo International Market it is the most popular food among Korean and foreign visitors alike, and vendors say even foreign tourists who speak no Korean at all know the word "dakgangjeong" when they arrive.
Other Market Snacks to Try
Alongside dakgangjeong, Sinpo International Market's other signature snack is gonggalppang. Its shell is thin and crisp but completely hollow inside, which earned it the name "bluff bread", and a light brushing of brown sugar syrup on the inside makes it sweet. It is surprisingly light for its size, and cracking it open by hand to share is half the fun. In and around the market you will also find dumpling shops, sundae (Korean blood sausage) stalls and snack bars. Five-colour dumplings, said to have originated in the Sinpo area, are made with wrappers dyed in several colours, and nearby snack bars serve jjolmyeon, which is also said to have been born in Incheon. Buying a little of several things to share is the most fun way to explore, and opening hours and closing days vary from shop to shop.
Queuing Tips and Eating on the Go
Popular dakgangjeong shops often have long queues even on weekday afternoons, and weekends are busier still. A good strategy is to join the dakgangjeong line as soon as you arrive while your companions go buy other snacks. Dakgangjeong is usually sold by box size, and some shops let you choose between mild and spicy. Because it tastes almost as good cold, dakgangjeong is perfect for eating while walking around Chinatown and the port-era streets, or on the train home. The sauce is sticky, so bring wet wipes. The market is within walking distance of Sinpo Station on the Suin-Bundang Line and Dong-Incheon Station on Line 1, and it is close to Chinatown, the Jajangmyeon Museum and the jjolmyeon snack bars of Sinpo-dong, making it a natural midpoint on a food walk through old Incheon.