Local Shop, Local Food — Local Shops and Local Foods to Discover on the Road

Local shops that present regional specialties in appealing ways are steadily increasing. Here, we introduce local food products you can bring home after traveling to Namhae, Wonju, Gongju and Andong. In a word: souvenirs that hold the flavor of a destination.

Words Pyo Youngso
Photos Park Jaehong

Aenggang Market: Namhae Premium Jukbangnyeom Anchovies

Aenggang Market is a local food shop that introduces Namhae’s regional specialties and traditional foods. Buying directly from the jukbangnyeom fishery in the Jijok Strait of Namhae, it selects and sells top-quality jukbangnyeom anchovies. Jukbangnyeom is a traditional fishing method that harnesses the strong, fast currents created by the tidal difference: bamboo-stake nets are set up to let anchovies be naturally trapped, then scooped out with hand nets at low tide. As a result, jukbangnyeom anchovies are known for their intact, clean bodies, firm flesh and shimmering silver scales. Boiled in domestic sun-dried sea salt, they have little fishy smell and a pronounced, nutty savoriness.

Instagram: @ain_river

Varieties: Medium anchovies (100g) / Small anchovies (100g) / Tiny anchovies (120g)

Box size: 7 x 23 cm

Price: Medium KRW 14,000 / Small and tiny KRW 12,000

Store: 11am–5:30pm, 772 Namseo-daero, Nam-myeon, Namhae-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do

Okhui Bangatgan (Okhui Mill): Domestic Roasted Perilla Oil

Okhui Bangatgan in Wonju is a sesame roastery. It carefully selects top-grade sesame grown in Gangwon-do and offers finely tuned roasting levels, letting customers choose between “Light” and “Balanced” depending on their taste and how they plan to use the oil. That choice is its distinguishing feature. The perilla oil, in particular, is pressed from perilla seeds grown by the shop itself in Wonju as well as from local farms in the mountainous areas of Gangwon-do, including Yeongwol, Jeongseon and Yanggu, and it is exceptionally rich in flavor, aroma and nuttiness. The lightly roasted perilla oil (Light) has a fresh texture that keeps the natural fragrance of the seeds, making it well suited to uncooked dishes such as salads and pesto. The medium-roasted perilla oil (Balanced) has a deep, weighty flavor and umami, and suits low-heat cooking such as seasoned wild greens, pasta and soups.

Instagram: @okhee_mill

Varieties: Light / Balanced

Volume: 180ml each

Price: KRW 20,000 (two-bottle gift set KRW 42,000)

Store: 10am–5pm, closed Tuesdays, 145 Haenggu-ro, Wonju-si, Gangwon-do (1F)

Gokmuljip (Grain House): Gongju Hankki (A Meal of Gongju)

Gokmuljip, a grain-experience brand exploring the potential of native Korean grains, runs a grocery café in Gongju and proposes a range of ways to experience food. Its recently launched Gongju chestnut rice, “Gongju Hankki” (A Meal of Gongju), pairs Gongju’s signature specialty, chestnuts, with rice that carries the city’s history and present. It comes in two editions, each combining dried chestnuts (hwangnyul) with either Beodeul rice, a native variety that has been grown around Gongju for more than 100 years, or Gomatnaru rice, the region’s leading variety today. Beodeul rice is firm and very sticky, with a sweet, nutty taste, while Gomatnaru rice, of the Samgwang (“three lights”) variety, lives up to its name: the rice plant, the grain and the cooked rice all seem to glow.

Instagram: @a.collective.grain

Contents: Gomatnaru rice (90%), Gongju chestnuts (10%) / Beodeul rice (90%), Gongju chestnuts (10%)

Weight: 220g (serves 2–3)

Price: KRW 8,000

Store: 11am–8pm, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 12-1 Hyosim 1-gil, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do (1F)

Maenggae Village: Andong Jinmaek Soju

At Maenggae Sooldoga (Maenggae Brewery) in Maenggae Village, Andong, you can find the only soju in Korea made from wheat. Records of Andong wheat soju go back to the 15th century, and Jinmaek Soju carries that lineage across some 500 years. Every step, from sowing and harvesting the wheat to processing, brewing and aging, takes place in the village, which prides itself on its pristine natural environment, and a single bottle takes an average of two years to complete. The Jinmaek Soju Signature Line is brewed in three stages with nuruk (a traditional fermentation starter) and fermented at low temperature, yielding the delicate fragrance of wheat blossoms and a clean taste.

Instagram: @jinmaek.soju

ABV: 40%

Volume: 500ml

Price: KRW 49,000

Store: 10am–6pm, closed Tuesdays, 32 Seongseongjungang-gil, Dosan-myeon, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do