Koreans' favorite winter snack in major revival 

By Lim So-yeon

 

SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Yonhnap) -- A 56-year-old street vendor deftly flipped the steaming-hot molds with busy hands. 

 

For seven years, Park Gi-nam has been selling "bungeoppang," or carp-shaped pastry with sweet fillings, in Gwangjang Market, a popular tourist spot in central Seoul.

 

Roughly a third of his customers are Chinese travelers. They are particularly fond of the pizza and sweet potato flavors, he said. 

 

Yet Park is one of the fortunate survivors of the rapid waning of the bungeoppang kiosks. The industry has been hit hard by the high-flying costs of gas and ingredients. 

 

According to Korean Price Information, the price of 800-gram red bean paste, a key ingredient, more than doubled from 3,000 won (US$2.29) in 2017 to 6,500 won in 2023. 

 

▲ This file photo, taken on Nov. 10, 2022, shows a street vendor filling "bungeoppang," or fish-shaped pastry, with sweet red bean paste in Gwangjang Market, a popular tourist spot in central Seoul. Bungeoppang is one of the nation's favorite winter snack. (Yonhap)

 

Now retail conglomerates and F&B chains -- convenience stores, department stores, cafes and hip pastry brands -- are incrementally filling in the vacancy of street vendors. 

 

From Nov. 1 to Dec. 7, Lotte Department Store ran bungeoppang pop-up stores at its nationwide branches, in partnership of "Boong-O Urangdan," an up-and-rising bungeoppang maker based in Seongsu-dong.

 

Bungeoppang's two classic fillings are red bean and sweet cream. But these pop-up stores boast diverse recipes, such as egg and cheese; corn and cheese; sweet potato; spicy-hot chicken; and special pizza. 

 

Kim Hye-ji, founder and CEO of Boong-O Urangdan, said, "Foreign customers account for about 20-30 percent of the total buyers. Many of them took videos and posted them on social media."

 

Miram and Karina, a Kazakhstan couple who bought bungeoppang at the pop-up store in Jamsil, said, "(Bungeoppang) reminds us of the potato pie and jam pie back from home… It would go well with coffee or tea."

 

Some non-conglomerate cafes are also taking on the bungeoppang rush with fresh recipes as well. 

 

▲ The photo, provided by Lotte Department Store on Dec. 7, 2023, shows shoppers lining up for bungeoppang at the department store's Gangnam branch in Seoul. Lotte runs bungeoppang pop-up stores at its nationwide branches, in partnership of "Boong-O Urangdan," an up-and-rising maker of the carp-shaped pastry, based in Seongsu-dong. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

Convenience store chain GS25 has been selling bungeoppang in many branches since mid-September. It uses the sweet potato machine installed in the store to bake the frozen bungeoppang. 

 

Due to product's fast popularity, it added new flavors at monthly intervals. As a result, its November sales of bungeoppang soared by nearly 30 percent from a month ago.

 

Major coffeehouse chains, such as Ediya Coffee and Mega MGC Coffee, added bungeoppang to their seasonal winter side menus. Ice-cream chain Baskin Robbins implemented the taste of sweet bungeoppang as a new flavor in November. 

 

Shinsegae Food released the home meal replacement (HMR) version of bungeoppang, which only requires heating in air fryers or microwaves. 

 

▲ This undated file photo, provided by convenience store chain GS25, shows the retail giant's bungeoppang products in various flavors. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

As bungeoppang evolves into various flavors, large-scale exporters are seeking inroads into the global dessert market via bungeoppang. 

 

CJ CheilJedang, a food arm of conglomerate CJ Group, rolled out "Bibigo Bungeoppang" in August. The firm testing the waters to export the bungeoppang product in three flavors: red bean, cream, and Chodang corn. 

 

But smooth exports of bungeoppang must be entailed by constant media exposure and promotion, according to experts of the globalization of K-food. 

 

Choi Nak-sam, the director of Good Products Lab, said, "For bungeoppang to become an iconic K-dessert, it should be available on the menu all year round, not just during winter." 

 

He added, "Exporters also need to actively utilize and promote the K-food's healthy image via short videos (shorts)." 

 

maryaic@yna.co.kr

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