Nov 4

Korea’s Iconic Winter Snack Part 1, Fun Lingo Through Bungeoppang (붕어빵)

💎 What you'll learn in this post

📌 Heads up before you read

Overnight Sensation Words

Expressions that are particularly common in conversations during cold winters like now

⚡ Frequency of use by K-pop fans

★★☆☆☆

⚡ Frequency of use in general

★★★★☆

팥붕[pat-ppung]

A Korean winter snack in the shape of a fish, filled with sweet red bean paste

[pat-ppung] is short for 팥 붕어빵[pat bbung-eo-ppang],

✅ 팥[pat]: Red bean

✅ 붕어빵[bung-eo-ppang]: Bungeoppang, Fish-shaped bun

🍞 This is Bungeoppang 🍞

Bungeoppang is a popular winter street snack in Korea, made by pouring a thin wheat flour batter and red bean paste into fish-shaped molds. 😋

As the weather gets colder, you'll often see food stalls selling bungeoppang. Freshly cooked, warm Bungeoppang with a sweet red bean filling has been a popular winter treat for years.

These days, you'll also find other shapes, such as carp-shaped 잉어빵[ing-eo-ppang], adding variety to this classic snack!

슈붕[syu-bung]

A Korean winter snack in the shape of a fish, filled with custard cream

[syu-bung] is short for 슈크림 붕어빵[syu-keu-rim bung-eo-ppang],

✅ 슈크림[syu-keu-rim]: Custard cream

🔥 Boosting Korean Knowledge

Originally, Bungeoppang was all about the red bean filling, but now, you’ll find all sorts of creative options! Custard cream, vegetables, sweet potatoes, and even pizza fillings have taken this classic snack to new levels.

Still, the most iconic flavors are red bean and custard cream.

And that's where the fun begins - Koreans have an ongoing debate about which is better: [pat-bbung] (red bean) or [syu-bung] (custard)! 💬 With everyone having their own favorite, this tasty rivalry never really ends.

⬇ Check out some funny YouTube videos about the [pat-bbung] vs [syu-bung] debate ⬇

(English subtitles available)

붕세권[bung-se-kkwon]

An area or neighborhood near places that sell [bung-eo-ppang]

[bung-se-kkwon] is short for 붕어빵 역세권[bung-eo-ppang yeok-sse-kkwon],

✅ 붕어빵[bung-eo-ppang]: Bungeoppang, Fish-shaped bun

✅ 역세권[yeok-sse-kkwon]: Area around the station, Station Area

The term [bung-se-kkwon] is a newly coined word that combines [bung-eo-ppang] with [yeok-sse-kkwon]. It humorously refers to areas where Bungeoppang is sold.

Due to rising costs in Korea, street vendors selling Bungeoppang, once a common snack, have become harder to find. When someone lives near a place where Bungeoppang is sold and can easily get it, they jokingly say that they live in [bung-se-gwon].

💬 Real Korean Expressions in Conversation