Jajangmyeon

When I asked my Korean sister-in-law what dishes we should try on a previous trip to Seoul, one of the first dishes she recommended was jajangmyeon. It’s one of the tastiest and most popular examples of Korean-Chinese food. In fact, it’s a dish that’s often mentioned in Korean dramas and television shows.

Jajangmyeon refers to a dish of thick, handmade (or machine-pulled) wheat noodles topped with a heavy sauce made from fried chunjang (sweet bean sauce), soy sauce, diced pork, and vegetables. It dates back to the early 20th century, to a Korean-Chinese restaurant in Incheon’s Chinatown that now functions as a Jajangmyeon museum.

Jajangmyeon is an interesting Korean dish with a unique nutty taste. I can’t think of another noodle dish that tastes like it. People love it for its flavor but jajangmyeon owes some of its popularity to Black Day– an unofficial holiday celebrated on April 14 by unattached people in Korea.

I don’t know how the tradition started but people who don’t receive gifts on Valentine’s Day or White Day drown their sorrows in a black bowl of jajangmyeon.