Four Korean Snacks I Actually Buy

When people talk about Korean snacks, names like Choco Pie or Saewookkang usually come up first.

And there is a reason those snacks have become classics. But when I actually go shopping for snacks, I tend to pick up something a little different.

The four snacks below aren't here because they are the most famous Korean snacks, or because I think everyone should try them. They are simply snacks I actually buy, snacks I enjoy, and the kind of thing I might put in my cart when I see them at the supermarket or convenience store.

They may not all be familiar flavors to someone visiting Korea. One is quite spicy, another is much sweeter than you might expect. But if you're curious about the kinds of snacks people actually eat in everyday Korea, these are more interesting to me than a list of the usual famous names.

1. Shindang-dong Tteokbokki — Tteokbokki, Turned Into a Snack

 Shindang-dong Tteokbokki 

Koreans really do love tteokbokki. And this snack takes that familiar flavor and puts it into a bag of chips with surprising determination.

It's spicy and sweet, with a seasoning that tastes remarkably close to tteokbokki sauce. The seasoning also leaves a slightly sticky feeling as you eat it, which makes it feel less like a snack that happens to taste like tteokbokki and more like you're eating the gochujang-based sauce itself.

It may be a little spicy if you're not used to Korean food. But if you already know and like tteokbokki, it's an easy one to understand.

Of all the tteokbokki-flavored snacks I've tried, this is probably the one that comes closest to actually recreating the flavor of tteokbokki.

If you like tteokbokki, it's a fun one to try. At least you won't be wondering why they called it tteokbokki flavor.

2. Alsaewoo Chip — The Snack You Think About Later

Alsaewoo Chip

Alsaewoo Chip is a light, airy shrimp snack made with shrimp. It has a crisp texture, but it isn't as heavy or aggressively seasoned as some other Korean snacks.

The first time you eat it, you might think it's just okay.

That's actually part of its charm.

The shrimp flavor is there, but it doesn't overpower everything else. The texture is light and crisp, with a slightly airy quality that makes it very easy to keep eating.

I sometimes dip it in a simple mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup. The packaging also suggests using the chips to make small shrimp canapés, which turns them into something that feels almost like a little snack for drinks rather than something you simply eat straight from the bag.

But the strange thing about Alsaewoo Chip is this:

You might not think much of it the first time.

Then, a few days later, you suddenly remember it.

And the next time you're shopping, you find yourself putting another bag in your cart.

3. Jocheong Yugwa — An Old Korean Kind of Sweetness

Jocheong Yugwa

Jocheong Yugwa takes the flavor of a traditional Korean sweet and puts it into a more modern snack format.

It's sweet, but not in the same way as chocolate or caramel. The sweetness comes from jocheong, a traditional Korean grain syrup, and the snack has the light, delicate texture associated with yugwa.

There is something slightly old-fashioned about the flavor.

It reminds me of a kind of Korean sweetness that existed long before today's colorful desserts and heavily flavored snacks. I can also imagine this being a snack that older generations would enjoy, precisely because the flavor isn't trying too hard to be trendy.

That's what I like about it.

There are so many elaborate desserts around these days, but jocheong yugwa doesn't try to compete with them. It is simply sweet in its own way.

I like it with a warm cup of tea. It's not an exciting, flashy dessert, but sometimes that simple kind of sweetness is exactly what you want.

4. Turtle Chips Choco Churros — When You Want to Be Attacked by Sugar

Turtle Chips Choco Churros

Compared with the first three, Turtle Chips Choco Churros goes in a completely different direction.

It is really, really sweet.

Turtle Chips are known for their layered, crispy texture, and the Choco Churros flavor adds chocolate and churro-style sweetness between those layers.

At some point while eating it, you may find yourself thinking:

Okay. I get it. You wanted me to experience maximum sweetness.

There is sweetness between the layers, and then more sweetness on top.

But if you love sweet snacks, that's exactly the point.

The combination of cinnamon and chocolate works especially well with coffee. I like it with strong coffee or espresso because the bitterness of the coffee cuts through some of the sweetness.

If you love sweet snacks, you might even wish you'd bought a few bags to put in your suitcase before leaving Korea.

If you're sensitive to sugar, though, consider yourself warned.

So, These Are the Snacks I Actually Buy

I didn't choose these four because they are the most famous Korean snacks.

I chose them because I actually eat them.

Shindang-dong Tteokbokki is for anyone who loves the spicy, sweet flavor of tteokbokki. Alsaewoo Chip is the one that somehow becomes more memorable after you've finished the bag.

Jocheong Yugwa brings an older kind of Korean sweetness to the snack aisle, while Turtle Chips Choco Churros goes in the opposite direction with an unapologetically sweet, modern flavor.

Put the four together and they make an interesting little picture of Korean snacks.

Korean snacks don't have just one flavor profile. They can be spicy and intense, subtle and savory, rooted in traditional sweets, or simply, unapologetically sweet.

And of course, which one you like is entirely personal.

So if you find yourself standing in front of the snack aisle at a Korean convenience store or supermarket, don't feel like you have to choose only the famous names.

Pick up something ordinary.

You might think, It's okay, the first time you try it.

And then, a few days later, you might find yourself thinking about it again.