Korean food is known for being spicy. Also Lots of people around the world love spicy korean food. Think about Buldak Ramen Noodles and Buldak tteokbokki! They are super popular, even though they pack a lot of heat. Maybe even Koreans think “spicy” first when they think about their food. Kimchi and Gochujang sauce are key Korean foods. They really show this spicy side. Some people even eat raw chilies dipped right into Gochujang sauce! And it’s hard to imagine Korean cooking without chili powder.
But here’s a surprise: Korean food wasn’t always spicy like this. Chili peppers actually started in Central and South America. Mexico grew them first, way back, about 6,000 years ago. Chilies only came to Korea less than 500 years ago.
So, how did Korea get famous for spicy food? They started using chilies much later than others. Then when did their food get so hot? Let’s look at the story of spice in Korean cooking.
🔥Why So Spicy? The Story of Heat in Korean Food
Korean Spices Before Chilies Came
Even before chilies, Korean food had some kick. People used spices like black pepper, garlic, and mustard. Old books like the Samguk Sagi and Goryeosa show that garlic and ginger were common in food and medicine. Old Chinese writings also say people in old Korea liked green onions and garlic.
The “spice” back then was likely a mild warmth. It wasn’t the big punch of heat we know now. Garlic helped keep food fresh because it fights germs. It’s even in Korea’s old stories! Green onions added a sharp taste and smell. Ginger got rid of fishy smells and was used in drinks and snacks. Cinnamon, sweet yet spicy, also helped with meat smells and added flavor. Garlic and green onions are still super important in spicy korean food today.
Chilies Come to Korea
So when did chilies get to Korea? We aren’t totally sure how or when. But the main idea is they came through Japan or China. Most people think Japan is the answer. They think chilies arrived after a war with Japan in the late 1500s.
Japan got chilies first from trading with Portugal. When Japanese soldiers came to Korea during the war, it’s very likely they brought chilies.
But at first, Koreans thought chilies were poison! They smelled strong and tasted sharp. So, people used them in weapons sometimes, or as medicine. Some people even put chilies in their socks to keep warm!
The Time of Gochujang and Chili Powder
Old Korean kimchi wasn’t red. You can still see types like dongchimi or baek kimchi today. Early kimchi used salt and aged seafood, not chili powder. So, it wasn’t spicy.
But in the 1700s, salt got very pricey. That’s when people started using more chilies. Why? There were more schools back then, which meant lots of family ceremonies. These ceremonies needed lots of food. People used tons of salt to keep the food from going bad. Also, farming got better, so there was more rice. With more rice, people wanted more salty side dishes.
Chilies helped keep food fresh too. So, chili powder (gochugaru) started to replace salt, or people used both. This also led to something new: Gochujang sauce! It was made by mixing chilies with old Korean pastes like doenjang (soybean paste) and ganjang (soy sauce).
To make Gochujang sauce, you crush aged soybean blocks (meju). Then mix the powder with rice flour and chili powder. Let it all age again. Gochujang sauce has a sweet heat that sticks to your tongue. It’s different from plain chili powder’s sharp heat. It soon became key in many Korean dishes. Lots of spicy korean food needs this great Gochujang sauce, including hot versions of Buldak tteokbokki.
😋More Heat & Changing Tastes
Chilies slowly became part of Korean food over hundreds of years. But then things changed fast. Korea’s economy grew quickly. Life got more competitive. New cultures came in. All this changed the spice level on the Korean table very quickly. People ate spicy food to feel less stressed. Food places used heat to get attention. Cooks mixed Korean spice with foods from other countries. Let’s see how modern spicy korean food changed, including the dishes that led to hits like Buldak Ramen Noodles.
1950s-1960s: Spice Starts in Hard Times
After freedom came the Korean War (1950-1953). The war hurt the country badly. It changed everything, even food. Food was hard to find. New things came from US soldiers, like flour and cornmeal. Foreign food ideas also spread.
Rice was rare and people had to used what they could find. Goods from US army bases and things like flour meant new foods. People made more noodles and bread.
Budae Jjigae (Army Stew)
Army Stew is a famous spicy korean food. Most of the stuff in it came from U.S. military bases during the Korean War, so it looks pretty different from your typical Korean dishes. But even with foreign parts, it’s still a spicy Korean stew. It shows Korea’s tough recent history. Some cooks use only chili powder. Others add Gochujang sauce for a sweeter taste.
Gochujang Tteokbokki – Korean rice cakes in a spicy Gochujang-based sauce
Tteokbokki used to be fancy food! In old Korea, kings ate it. It was made with soy sauce, not spicy stuff. The red tteokbokki we know came about in the 1950s, after the war. The famous Sindang-dong style started then. Cooks switched from soy sauce to Gochujang sauce. It was cheaper and easy to use. This made tteokbokki a food for everyone. This change led to super spicy types later, like Buldak tteokbokki.
Dongin-dong Jjim Galbi – A famous Korean-style braised short rib dish from Daegu
This is a well-known spicy korean food from Daegu city. It started in the late 1960s. A restaurant owner made a stew for building workers. He boiled beef ribs with spicy stuff. Daegu made cloth, and many people worked late. The strong, spicy taste helped workers feel less tired and stressed. Unlike regular galbi-jjim (soy sauce ribs), this one uses tons of chili powder and garlic. It usually has no veggies. It’s very fiery!
1970s-1980s: Growth and Spicier Food Spreads
In the 70s and 80s, Korea’s economy grew fast. Trade with other countries grew. Eating out became more common. Also, a new, very hot pepper called the Cheongyang chili was made in 1983. It added a big kick to spicy korean food.
Dak-galbi (Spicy Stir-fried Chicken)
Dak-galbi is a big dish from Chuncheon city. It started in the 1960s in a pub. They took the idea of grilling marinated pork and tried it with chicken. By the 1970s, it was popular in Chuncheon. It was cheap, so soldiers and students loved it. People called it ‘student galbi’ sometimes. Chicken is soaked in a Gochujang sauce with lots of chili powder. Then it’s stir-fried with veggies and rice cakes. Many folks from other countries find this spicy korean food easy to try.
Nakji-bokkeum (Spicy Stir-fried Octopus)
You have to talk about Nakji-bokkeum when you talk about spicy korean food. Seoul’s Mugyo-dong area is famous for it. It started in the 1960s. An old woman running a restaurant there stir-fried octopus with spicy Gochujang sauce. Octopus was usually eaten raw or in soup then. She served it as a snack with drinks. The sweet and fiery taste became a hit. Soon, other shops nearby started making it. That made a ‘Nakji-bokkeum Alley.’ The alley changed, but the dish spread all over Korea. It’s still a favorite today.
Extreme Heat for Stressful Lives (1990s – Early 2000s)
Eating spicy food can trigger pain. This makes your brain release chemicals that make you feel good for a bit. Life in Korea got very competitive. People felt stressed. They started eating spicy food to cope. At the same time, With the growth of the restaurant industry, Restaurants made food hotter and hotter to pull people in.
Even everyday foods like jokbal (pig’s feet) got super spicy versions. Dishes that were already hot, like jjampong (noodle soup) and ramyeon, got even hotter. Places started offering spice levels, like a challenge. This helped pave the way for foods like Buldak Ramen Noodles.
Buldak – Fire Chicken
Buldak is a very, very hot spicy korean food. It got popular in the late 90s and early 2000s. The chicken is coated in a Gochujang sauce that’s much hotter than dak-galbi sauce. People often added cheese or sprouts to cool it down. Or they ate it with rice. You could find Buldak places easily near colleges then. And yes, this dish gave the idea for the world-famous Buldak Ramen Noodles.
Yeopgi Tteokbokki
Yeopgi Tteokbokki is like the king of modern spicy korean food. It’s almost a culture now. People just call it ‘Yeoptteok.’ Its crazy spicy taste has tons of fans. The name ‘Yeoptteok’ is even used to describe super high spice levels! Online stars eating it in videos made it famous. People love adding toppings like fish cakes, sausage, or cheese. You can make it your own way or make it less spicy. Looking for really spicy food, like Yeopgi Tteokbokki? Buldak Tteokbokki is a good one to try for that kind of heat. You’ll likely have fun making your own custom Buldak tteokbokki.
K-Spice Goes Global: Buldak Ramen Noodles and More
Since about 2020, K-food, mainly the spicy kind, has spread worldwide. A big reason is the Korean Wave (Hallyu). K-dramas, movies, and K-pop are huge everywhere. Seeing stars eat Korean food makes people curious. Fans see their idols eating Korean dishes too. This made spicy korean food much better known. Also, people everywhere started liking spicier food more. It wasn’t just Korea. Even US stores noted ‘complex heat’ as a trend. All this helped K-spice grow, with Buldak Ramen Noodles leading the way. The impact of Buldak Ramen Noodles was massive.
Buldak Bokkeummyeon ( Buldak Ramen Noodles )
Buldak Ramen Noodles came from that fire chicken dish. But now? ‘Buldak’ usually just means Buldak Ramen. These noodles are famous on their own now. Global attention grew through YouTube mukbang videos, sometimes featuring K-pop stars. Out of all spicy korean food, Buldak Ramen Noodles are known for being crazy hot. That fire makes spice fans excited. It also dares people who want a food challenge. But it’s not just heat!
The sauce for Buldak Ramen Noodles is special. It mixes different chilies. It also has chicken and curry flavors, plus a secret soy sauce mix. It’s a taste you can’t stop eating. It’s different from other spicy ramyeon. That’s the magic of Buldak Ramen. They also have milder types, like Buldak Ramen Cream Carbonara. These are for people who want to try Buldak Ramen Noodles but need less heat. Plus, they keep making cool new flavors, like Habanero Lime. This keeps people trying new Buldak Ramen.
The ‘Buldak’ brand, thanks to Buldak Ramen Noodles, now sells other things too, like Buldak tteokbokki kits. And good news: Buldak Ramen Noodles are now Halal marked. So Muslims can eat them safely too. The Buldak Ramen story just keeps going!
🙋More Than Just Heat: A Taste of Korean History
The spicy korean food we eat now, like Buldak Ramen Noodles or that super hot Buldak tteokbokki, is loved for its heat. But that spice holds a lot of history. It’s linked to 500 years of Korean life, culture, and feelings. Sometimes, spicy korean food meant survival. Sometimes, it showed energy and growth. And sometimes, it helped people feel better when stressed. Spice gives comfort and energy in Korea. Now, it’s a world food trend. People everywhere eat it and challenge each other with it.
Thinking about this story, maybe that pack of Buldak Ramen Noodles seems different now? That heat you taste? It might just be a taste of Korean history.
