Local specialty Foods : Andong

Have you been to Andong before? This region has many renowned historical and cultural sites, such as Hahoe Village, Byeongsanseowon Confucian Academy, Woryeonggyo Bridge etc. Also, it is a city with tasty and unique Regional cuisine. If you are planning to visit there, try its local foods. Salted mackerel, Andong jjimdak, sikhye, and Heotjesabap and are all local dishes from the region. Go and enjoy the real dish of andong city.

Join our Andong tour:

Historic Village of Korea, Hahoe, Andong Tour
5D4N Korea Cultural Heritage immersion Tour

Andong SALTED MACKEREL (Gan Godeungeo)

When you talk about Andong food, you can’t miss its SALTED MACKEREL. It’s definitely the most famous one among the town’s food specialty. Historically, the city was far from the sea, salting fish was necessary to preserve fish for as long as possible. Now, though fish is readily available, salting fish remains one of the most popular methods. Gan Godeungeo is usually served with variety of side dishes, Soybean Paste Soup (Doenjang guk) and rice. Enjoy juicy and meaty Gan Godeungeo with a spoonful of rice. Then you will find out you don’t need other side dish anymore.

Andong jjim-dak

If you like chicken, I highly recommend jjim-dak. It is a steamed chicken with various vegetables and chewy sweet potato noodles (dangmyun) marinated in ganjang(Korean soy sauce) sauce. Although history of jjimdak is not that long compared to other three foods, it has franchise restaurants. So you can taste jjimdak everywhere in Korea.

Heot-jesatbap( Bibimbap)

Heot-jesatbap is kind of Bibimbap, passed down from ancestors in Andong. As you know, Bibimbap is a bowl of rice with vegetables, and one of the most favorite meals among Koreans. Heot-jesatbap is served with jeon (coated and pan-fried fish and vegetables), guk (soup) and Ganjang(soy sause). Season with ganjang instead of Gochujang(hot pepper paste) commonly used.

Heot-jesatbap is a combination of the words of hoet, meaning “fake,” and jesabap, referring to the meal that was served during ancestral rituals. Confucian scholars in Andong, Jinju, and Deagu used to have this jesabap even when there was no ritual service. Therefore that is how its name became heot-jesatbap.

Andong sikhye

Sikhye is a Korean traditional rice beverage. Usually called Gamju or Sikhye, you will find it served as a dessert after a feast, because its sweet flavor is suitable for dessert and it helps digestion. There are several regional variations of sikhye. Andong sikhye is different from familiar white sikhye, since it includes radishes, carrots, and red chilli powder.