What to Eat in North Korea

North Korea’s cuisine reflects a cold, continental climate, rugged mountains, and two coasts that bring seasonal fish alongside inland grains. Buckwheat, maize, potatoes, and cabbage anchor daily meals, with fermentation preserving produce for long winters. Clear broths, restrained seasoning, and balance define the table.

Meals traditionally center on rice or other grains, a soup, and several banchan, with kimchi nearly always present. Fermented pastes like doenjang and sauces such as ganjang and gochujang guide flavor, while noodles hold special pride in northern cities. Community kimjang in late autumn prepares households for the months ahead.

Pyongyang naengmyeon is a cold noodle dish built on buckwheat noodles and an icy, delicate broth made from beef, pheasant, or a blend with dongchimi (radish water kimchi). The noodles are thin and softly elastic, topped with sliced beef, pickled radish, cucumber, Asian pear, and a halved boiled egg; diners adjust with vinegar and mustard. Historically a winter specialty in Pyongyang when wells ran cold and buckwheat was abundant, it later became an all-season celebratory food. The taste is restrained and mineral, with gentle tang from the broth and clean grain notes from buckwheat, making it common at family gatherings and formal meals in the capital and beyond.

Originating on the east coast around Hamhung, this naengmyeon differs sharply from Pyongyang’s version by using potato or sweet potato starch, yielding translucent, intensely chewy strands. It is often served bibim-style under a gochujang-forward sauce, or as hoe-naengmyeon with slivers of raw fish like skate, plus cucumber, radish, and Asian pear; some shops add crushed ice or a light broth. The sauce is sweet, spicy, and aromatic with sesame oil, clinging to the resilient noodles and highlighting maritime ingredients available to the region. Popular in warm months yet welcomed year-round, Hamhung naengmyeon reflects the area’s seafood access and preference for assertive seasoning, a contrast prized by travelers moving between the east coast and inland cities such as Pyongyang and Wonsan.

Kimchi in North Korea centers on baechu (napa cabbage) and radish varieties, especially dongchimi, a lightly salted water kimchi stored cold for a clean, refreshing broth. Preparation follows the peninsula’s classic method—salting the vegetable, rinsing, then seasoning with gochugaru, garlic, ginger, scallion, and jeotgal when available—before packing into vessels to ferment slowly. Northern households emphasize brine-driven, less sweet profiles and rely on winter storage from communal kimjang, which ensures a steady supply for soups, noodle broths, and daily banchan. Eaten at every meal, kimchi contributes brightness, lactic tang, and crunch, and it underpins other dishes such as mul-naengmyeon broths, porridges, and stews, demonstrating how fermentation shapes flavor in a cold climate.

Pyongyang onban is a comforting rice-in-broth dish known for its clear, savory chicken stock poured over warm rice and topped with shredded chicken, thin omelet strips (jidan), mushrooms, and scallions; some versions include sliced tteok. The stock is made by gently simmering chicken bones and aromatics, skimming carefully to keep it transparent, and seasoning with light ganjang and salt. The result is clean yet substantial, with soft rice contrasting tender chicken and delicate garnishes, a style that typifies northern restraint. Historically served at banquets and to honored guests in Pyongyang, onban remains a favored cold-weather meal and a restorative option for travelers after long journeys or on festival mornings.

Injo-gogi-bap pairs rice with rolls of soybean curd skins that stand in for meat, simmered in a robust gochujang-based sauce with garlic, scallions, and a hint of sugar. The soy sheets are wrapped around chopped vegetables or seasoned crumbs, then braised until they absorb the sauce, creating a chewy, layered texture that contrasts with warm rice and crisp cabbage or radish on the side. Developed in recent decades and now seen at street stalls, the dish shows resourceful use of soy byproducts while delivering satisfying heat and savory depth. Office workers and students enjoy it as a quick midday bowl in urban centers like Pyongyang, and vendors vary the spice level to suit the season, often making it heartier in winter.

North Korean cuisine is defined by climate-smart preservation, clear broths, and an enduring noodle culture that celebrates regional contrast. From buckwheat in Pyongyang to chewy starch strands in Hamhung, dishes balance restraint and spice with seasonal logic. Explore more regional foods and plan your trip with Sunheron.com for destinations matched to your weather preferences.