Eating in Andong

Andong, in North Gyeongsang Province, is an inland city best known to visitors for the Hahoe folk village and for a short list of dishes with long stories attached. It is a place to eat slowly and with context, since several of its specialties are tied to yangban households, ancestral rites and the geography of an inland town far from the sea. See also the Andong region page.

Andong jjimdak

The city's most famous dish is Andong jjimdak, a whole chicken cut into pieces and braised in soy sauce with vegetables, potatoes, rice cakes and glass noodles. VisitKorea says it was created in 1980 in a market alley of Andong Old Market where merchants butchered and sold whole chickens; that alley is now known as Jjimdak Alley. Other accounts trace the idea to older banquets, so treat the origin story as contested rather than settled. The official page compares the sweet-and-savory flavor to braised short ribs and notes that a chili kick varies by shop. It suggests ordering the glass noodles first because they absorb the sauce, and adding rice on the side. Portions are sold by size for different group sizes, so one or two diners should ask for the smallest. A drier, spicier version is called jjorimdak.

Heotjesabap

Heotjesabap (헛제삿밥) is a bibimbap-style meal seasoned with soy sauce instead of chili paste. The name roughly means "fake ritual meal," a reference to the foods laid out for ancestral rites, which are described under jesa food. A typical serving is rice with a set of namul vegetables, a little fish and jeon pancakes. Common stories say that scholars used to eat it as a late-night snack, but this is more likely a local tale than a documented history, so enjoy it as such. If you know bibimbap with gochujang, this version tastes quieter and more savory. The sources reviewed here list it as originating in Andong.

Salted mackerel

The sea is far from Andong, so the fish that reached the town were preserved. Salted mackerel, called gan-godeungeo, is the local version. One English-language account describes it as a delicacy caught where the Nakdong River meets the sea and salted so that it could reach the city. It is usually grilled, a method described in godeungeo-gui, and it is salty, so plan for rice. The raw ingredient is covered under godeungeo.

Andong soju

Andong is also known for a traditional distilled liquor. Andong soju is made by fermenting steamed glutinous rice with nuruk and water and then distilling it; VisitKorea says the technique likely came from the Yuan period and that yangban families made it for ancestral rites and honored guests. It is different from the diluted soju sold in green bottles. Strengths vary by producer, and VisitKorea notes that the distillate itself comes off at around 45 percent alcohol before dilution. The Korea JoongAng Daily describes a revival of the tradition after the twentieth-century restrictions on rice-based liquor. Drink it slowly and with food. For the wider picture, see soju and traditional liquor.

Hahoe and the surrounding villages

Hahoe is a clan village that has been home to the Pungsan Ryu family for roughly six hundred years, and it was inscribed with Yangdong as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010. Both villages are private residences as well as heritage sites. Visitors are asked to enter only open houses and keep noise low. Restaurants cluster near the Hahoe ticket office, where jjimdak and salted mackerel are on offer. You can also sleep in an occupied hanok; see hanok villages.

Tips

• Come hungry for a set meal: Andong's specialties are generous.
• Salted mackerel and soy-braised dishes are salty, which matters if you watch your intake. See sodium in Korean food.
• Check current opening hours and festival dates with Andong's tourism office, since these change.