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The Korea Times

By Han Sang-hee
Souvenir shopping should be an enjoyable experience, but for food lovers visiting Korea, it can be daunting.
Professional chefs based in Korea were asked if they had any advice for souvenir shoppers.
According to chefs around South Korea’s capital Seoul, traditional markets are the place to go for more authentic products.
Not only do Seoul’s open-air markets and arcades offer visitors a more engaging shopping experience, but they are also where the best seasonal ingredients are found.
“Gyeongdong Market is by far my favourite,” says Joseph Lidgerwood, chef of two-Michelin-star restaurant Evett in Seoul’s Gangnam district. “It’s a great way to see what’s in season and they have a wide variety of dried goods.”

Lidgerwood says he brings his friends and fellow chefs to the market when they visit. He also recently accompanied the Korean Food Promotion Institute to the market to promote Korean ingredients to chefs and food experts from around the world.
Annamaria Bortolato, owner and chef of Perbacco, an Italian bar and restaurant in Seoul, goes to markets to discover fresh foods and fresh ideas.
“I go to the local market so I can take offers and also try something new and in season, like dallae [Korean wild chives] or spring namul [seasonal vegetables or greens],” she says.
There is a big focus on seasonal vegetables in Korea, where numerous chefs and restaurants incorporate them into their dishes.
“I’m actually a huge fan of dallae, [which is] only available a couple of months in the spring,” says Scott French, owner of Seoul pizzeria Spill Out.
“I use it at [my restaurant] for our spring pizza special. It’s one of the main herbs in our green goddess sauce of the green goddess pizza,” he adds.

Packing fresh vegetables may be difficult for international travellers, but markets also carry a wide variety of dried vegetables and other suitcase-suitable goods, making it easier for food lovers to enjoy the flavours they love after returning home.
These products are also usually healthier and more unique than mass-produced cookies and noodles.
Among the most recommended souvenirs is jang – Korea’s Unesco-recognised fermented sauces. These include doenjang (soybean paste), ganjang (soy sauce) and gochujang (chilli paste) – all staples in local cuisine.
Francesco Ghilardi, chef and professor of food and beverages at Woosong University, in the central Korean city of Daejeon, points to the cross-cultural appeal of jang, noting how well the sauces can integrate into other cuisines and cultures.
Bortolato is experimenting with jang in her own dishes.
“I’m fascinated these days by the use of doenjang and ganjang. It took me time to realise and understand all the different styles and nuances. For example, I enjoy using doenjang to marinate seafood, meat and also some vegetables before washing and cooking them,” she says.

Jang also makes a good gift – especially for vegans and vegetarians.
“Two of my closest friends are vegan, so I like to bring them authentic deonjang so they can cook proper Korean dishes,” Lidgerwood says.
Since jang is usually sold in bulk and unpackaged at markets, it is often possible to ask for a small taste before buying a more substantial amount – an additional perk of shopping at local markets.
“We have these small spoons or some places have toothpicks because so many foreigners ask what they are and are curious,” says Kwon Young-ja, a vendor at Gwangjang Market who is among many to have seen an increase in international customers.
“How can they buy something if they don’t know how it tastes? And everyone seems to have different preferences,” she adds.
Micha Richter, chef and owner of The Baker’s Table in Seoul, may be known best for his German bread, but he is also a fan of using Korean condiments in his home cooking.
“It took me a while to get used to Korean food when I got here in the beginning, but I really enjoy it and I believe it’s some of the best and healthiest food around. Most Korean sauces are pretty exciting to use and taste good,” he says.
Richter adds that his favourite markets for local ingredients are Bangsan Market and Namdaemun Market, both located in Seoul’s Jung district.

Jang is already making its way into cuisines in the West as more chefs around the world embrace it.
Italian chef Fabrizio Ferrari, who previously ran the Michelin-star restaurant Al Porticciolo 84 in Italy, shared his doenjang pasta on his YouTube channel Italy Fabri in 2024. The video has been viewed more than 240,000 times to date.
When chefs are asked what they would take home if packaging and other logistics were no barrier, ganjang gejang (soy-marinated crab) is a popular pick.
“I always include soy-marinated crab [when guests come over] since you really can’t find it outside Korea,” Lidgerwood says. “I’m absolutely hooked on it. Someone really needs to develop a travel-friendly version.”
Beyond the food itself, chefs are also inspired by Korea’s culture of shared dining, especially how banchan-filled tables allow each person to customise their meal.
“[My family] loved the concept of mixing and matching every single bite with the side dishes,” Bortolato says.
“You eat ‘the same dish’ all together but at the same time, everybody is free to eat differently with different combinations. I think this is what can be interesting for foreigners.”
Bortolato even dreams of a “Korean meal starter kit”.
“It would be nice to find a travel set of Korean ingredients everyone has in their fridge – sesame oil, sesame seeds, gim and soy sauce,” she says.
For travellers seeking curated, design-savvy items, shops like Bukchon Gwang and 365iljang are worth visiting.
Bukchon Gwang, nestled in the heart of Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village, opened in 2024 with a mission to spotlight Korea’s fermented food culture in a modern, accessible way.
Calling itself a “K-traditional Fermented Food Souvenir Shop”, it offers a wide range of artisanal products from regional soy sauces and vinegars to locally made kimchi and cheese. Visitors can also try makgeolli (unfiltered Korean rice beer) and herbal teas.
The shop’s signature items – soy sauce caramel and cookies shaped like fermented soybean cakes – reinterpret Korea’s fermented staples into giftable treats.
The caramels showcase the rich umami of traditionally brewed soy sauce, while the cookies mimic the look of meju, the fermented soybean blocks used to make doenjang and ganjang.
At Gwangjang Market, 365iljang takes a more community-driven approach. This speciality grocery store highlights quality local brands from across Korea, stocking everything from regional snacks and beverages to sauces and fresh ingredients.
Beyond food, 365iljang also creates market-inspired merchandise, reimagining classic street-food items as souvenirs, such as magnets shaped like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), keychains that look like bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastry) and washi tape patterned with bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes).
It also honours the market’s history with a mother-of-pearl wine opener crafted by a 45-year-old lacquerware artisan who works in the market, and wine bags made from hanbok fabric and sewn by local seamstresses.
Read the full story in The Korea Times


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Food & Drink

From sauces and condiments to vegetables and dry goods, these markets and shops in Seoul are great for grabbing Korean ingredients for gifts


From sauces and condiments to vegetables and dry goods, these markets and shops in Seoul are great for grabbing Korean ingredients for gifts.


Where to find the best Korean food souvenirs? Chefs reveal their top places in Seoul

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From sauces and condiments to vegetables and dry goods, these markets and shops in Seoul are great for grabbing Korean ingredients for gifts

From sauces and condiments to vegetables and dry goods, these markets and shops in Seoul are great for grabbing Korean ingredients for gifts