Columnist Park Jung-bae, who has long connected with readers through rich food stories grounded in solid source material, has visited Daegu. Through a four-part series covering everything from fried chicken and street food to red broth and offal, he takes a peek into the dining tables of the people of Daegu. Take a moment to catch your breath. You might get tipsy just by reading this.

Daegu, a snack food paradise with the lightest bowl of kalguksu in the country

According to statistics from the Korea Agro-Fisheries Food Trade Corporation (aT) in December 2022, the average price of kalguksu nationwide is 7,893 won. Among the 15 metropolitan and provincial governments, Gyeonggi Province has the highest price at 8,552 won, while Daegu Metropolitan City has the lowest at 6,500 won. This is not a phenomenon unique to December, but rather a trend observed throughout 2022. The reason Daegu has the lowest kalguksu prices in the country is attributed to the city's culture of using factory-made noodles.

This is because there are far more restaurants using factory-made noodles than the hand-kneaded, knife-cut noodles that come to mind when thinking of kalguksu. Famous restaurants provide their recipes to factories and use the noodles they receive. These noodles are also called 'nureunguksu,' 'Daegu kalguksu,' or 'nureum-guksu.' Until the 1950s, Daegu's noodle culture consisted of semi-dried or dried noodles produced by small-scale noodle shops or factories, consumed as a snack made at home. However, with the 본격 emergence of noodle shops in the mid-1960s, handmade noodles and factory-made pressed noodles have coexisted to this day.

The region with the most expensive kalguksu in the country is Gyeonggi-do at 8,552 won, and

The cheapest region is Daegu Metropolitan City, at 6,500 won.

This is not a phenomenon unique to December, but a phenomenon that occurred throughout the year 2022.

Pungguk Noodles and Samsung Store, a city of noodle manufacturing that has matured over 90 years

The first reason for the development of snack and noodle culture in Daegu lies in its geographical advantages. Its proximity to Busan, where the flour milling industry is well-developed, makes it advantageous for processing flour. The second reason is the low humidity, high temperature, and dry weather, which is optimal for making noodles. Although this has been alleviated recently due to reforestation projects, the average temperature in Daegu was high at 25.9℃ from 1931 to the 1960s. On August 1, 1940, the recorded temperature in Daegu reached 40℃, the highest at the time. The third reason is the traditional noodle culture centered around Andong and Yeongju. In 2015, there were 35 noodle manufacturers in Daegu, a figure significantly higher relative to the population compared to Busan (37) and Incheon (34), which are centers of the flour milling industry.

Meanwhile, Pungukmyeon (1933), the oldest noodle manufacturer in Korea, still remains in Daegu. Going back to the Japanese colonial period, "Byeolpyo Noodles" (1938) from Samsung Sanghoe, the predecessor of Samsung Group, as well as brands such as Dakpyo, Gompyo, Sopyo, Wanggwan, and Geumseong, were all located in Daegu. According to Lee Chun-ho, an expert on Daegu's food history and culture, "Until the 1980s, Daegu monopolized more than 60% of the national noodle market, and especially from the 1950s to the 1970s, Daegu's dried noodles sold like hotcakes as banquet food and offerings for ancestral rites in noble households in northern Gyeongbuk, such as Andong and Bonghwa." The softness of Daegu's noodles is attributed to the fact that the noodles of the gentry, centered around Andong, were made soft by mixing soybean noodles with wheat flour.

Pungukmyeon (1933), the oldest noodle manufacturer in Korea, still remains in Daegu.

If we go back to the Japanese colonial period

'Byeolpyo Noodles' (1938) by Samsung Sanghoe, the predecessor of Samsung, as well as brands such as Dakpyo, Gompyo, Sopyo, Wanggwan, and Geumseong, were all located in Daegu.

'Mom's Homemade', 'Wanggeuni', 'Geumwa Restaurant'... The Snack Food Promotion Campaign and the Kalguksu Renaissance

Flour-based snack foods blossomed with the campaign to promote them, which began in earnest in the 1960s. In Daegu, the culture of kalguksu, a traditional Korean snack food, took root, with "Mom's" and "Grandma's" kalguksu restaurants springing up everywhere starting in the 1960s. Currently, there are about 100 noodle-focused snack shops operating in the Noodle Village of Seomun Market.

"Wanggeuni," the first noodle shop to open in the noodle alley of Seomun Market in the mid-1960s, has since moved out of the market and is now operating under the name "Wanggeuni Kalguksu" in Guam-dong, Buk-gu. Wanggeuni Kalguksu sells two types of kalguksu: Yetnal Kalguksu and Wanggeuni Kalguksu. Yetnal Kalguksu is a "Jemul-guksu," where the noodle boiling water is used as the broth without being changed. As a result, the broth is cloudy and the noodles have a thick texture. Wanggeuni Kalguksu is a "Geonjin-guksu," where the noodles are boiled and then rinsed in cold water. This allows customers to experience firsthand the transition from the humble, traditional Jemul-guksu to the sophisticated Geonjin-guksu. The broth is made by simmering anchovies.

Geumwa Sikdang in Dongsan-dong, Jung-gu, uses fresh noodles supplied by Tongil Foods in anchovy broth. The addition of Cheongbang cabbage gives the broth a clean flavor. Geumwa Sikdang is also famous for its cold boiled pork belly. Along with boiled pork belly, many kalguksu restaurants in Daegu serve boiled pork uterus (ampong). Taeyang Kalguksu in Sinam-dong is a long-standing establishment where you can enjoy factory-made noodles, anchovy-based jemul-guksu, and boiled ampong. Donggok Wonjo Halmae Son Kalguksu in Dalseong-gun, which adds a "grandma's touch" to handmade noodles, and Halmaejip at Myeongdeok Intersection are also well-known. Unlike yukgaejang or jjamppong, which are based on spicy seasoning, Daegu kalguksu boasts a clear and clean taste by boiling it in anchovy broth with Cheongbang cabbage, and the noodles are characterized by their softness from being hand-kneaded. As mentioned earlier, the noodles used in ancestral rite dishes, which developed centered around Andong, are made by adding soybean flour to wheat flour, resulting in a soft texture.

Chinese food also includes snacks like 'Jjingyos', Jjamppong, and Yaki Udon

On the other hand, Daegu is a city where Chinese cuisine has flourished. With the opening of the Gyeongbu Railway in 1905, it became one of the three major commercial cities of Joseon, serving as a stepping stone for the settlement of ethnic Chinese. During the Korean War, as ethnic Chinese residents living in Seoul and Incheon moved down to Daegu, the city's Chinese population swelled to as many as 5,000. Chinese restaurants specializing in flour-based dishes benefited most from the boom in the campaign to promote flour-based cuisine that began after the 1960s. 'Jinheung Banjeom,' which opened in 1968, is a nationally renowned Jjamppong restaurant where long lines always form, yet the only signifier symbolizing a Chinese restaurant is its menu. The noodles are soft, factory-made medium-thick noodles similar to kalguksu, and the broth is rich and intense, spicy and sweet, and full of vegetables. It reaches a salinity of 1.48 and a Brix level of 9.4. It feels as though the equation "Daegu = Spicy Broth" has reached its peak in Jjamppong. At 'Subong Banjeom,' another renowned jjamppong spot, it is difficult to distinguish whether it is a Chinese restaurant or a snack bar. Daegu's jjamppong is a living 'food history recipe' that allows one to witness the transformation of Chinese cuisine into snack food. 'Junghwa Banjeom,' which opened in 1954, introduced yakiudon in 1974, which has now become a staple menu item at Chinese restaurants in Daegu. 'Jjingyos,' which captures the Chinese pronunciation of 'gyoza' (dumpling), is also a unique dish of Daegu's Chinese cuisine. You can also find non-spicy udon, which has disappeared from the metropolitan area.

A unit used to roughly measure the specific gravity of solids contained in food. It is based on the weight in grams per 100g. For fruits, it is calculated by measuring the sugar content, while for broth-based dishes, it is calculated by measuring the specific gravity of salt, sugar, collagen, etc. For example, apples with 14 Brix or higher are considered to have high sugar content.

Daegu's Jjamppong is

You can see the process of Chinese food transforming into snack food.

It is a living 'food history recipe'.

Daegu's unique snack, flat dumplings

In Daegu, there is a local variation of dumpling called "Napjak Mandu." Like Nureunguksu (pressed noodles), Napjak Mandu is typically made in factories. The originator of Daegu Napjak Mandu is "Miseongdang." Miseongdang, which opened in 1963, is still thriving today. Napjak Mandu must be quickly pan-fried rather than deep-fried in cooking oil mixed with lard to give it a meaty aroma. Thin, lightly pan-fried Napjak Mandu is eaten by sprinkling it with soy sauce infused with green onions and red chili powder. Although flat, it is still a dumpling, so it contains a filling. Boiled and finely chopped white glass noodles and a tiny amount of chives keep it alive as a dumpling. The surface is smooth and savory. The oil adds to the smoothness, resulting in a pleasant texture. The soy sauce enhances the flavor, while the red chili powder cuts through the greasiness of the oil. While the wrappers for dumplings sold in markets are mostly purchased from Pungukmyeon or Chilseong Market, Miseongdang makes its wrappers in-house.

Daegu’s bunsik has established itself in a diverse and abundant manner, grounded in a historical background that includes a climate suitable for processing flour and the city's role as the birthplace of the movement to promote bunsik. Kalguksu, the quintessential Korean-style bunsik, has blossomed into various forms, and even Chinese cuisine has been adapted and developed into bunsik styles. If you wish to see the past, present, and future of bunsik centered around noodles, taste Daegu’s bunsik.

Illustration | Powder 'Bun', Rice 'Sik'. A hearty meal of Bunsik crafted in Daegu.

**External contributions to the Editorial Department are intended to provide a multifaceted perspective on local culture and industry and may differ from the views of the Editorial Department.

Park Jung-bae

He researches the historical culture of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine and explores the field. Historical sources, which surge throughout his writing, transport the reader to the vivid heart of food history. He has serialized works such as "Park Jung-bae’s Birth of Korean Cuisine" and "The Decisive Menu" in the *Chosun Ilbo*, and serves as an advisor or makes appearances on broadcast programs like Netflix’s *Hanwoo Rhapsody*. He also runs food-related lecture academies such as the "Soup Academy" and "Noodle School." His published works include *Dumplings: A Cultural History of Dumplings and Gyoza in Korea, China, and Japan* and *Food Landscape*.