[Hallyupedia] Chimaek (치맥)

by Yun Ji Hyun / Cha Min Kyung

Chimaek
[ENG] A Korean abbreviated word for chicken and beer

▲ This photo provided by The Booth Brewing Co. shows fried chicken with beer. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Chimaek, a combination of the words 'chicken' and 맥주·[maek-ju], which means beer in Korean, is a representative example of the Korean food culture in which two foods are enjoyed together. This food combination is loved by both men and women of all ages in Korea.

The chicken in Chimaek is usually chopped up in smaller pieces and fried using frying powder or flour. While this dish is typically called the fried chicken in foreign countries, it is only referred to as 'chicken' in Korea.

In addition to regular fried chicken, Korean-style chicken has a spicy yet sweet seasoning made with red pepper paste and starch syrup.

Koreans also make garlic chicken using garlic or season fried chicken with soy sauce. Another popular chicken recipe is called 'Padak,' where people add scallions also known as '파·[pa]' in Korean.

Whenever people eat chicken in Korea, it is enjoyed with pickled radish called 'mu,' as a side dish. The pickled radish can be made by cutting white radish into cubes and marinating it in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, and salt.  

▲ This photo captured from Kyochon's official website shows their half and half chicken menu with pickled radish. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

In Korea, there is a Korean jargon called "ban-ban-mu-mani," which is used to ask for a set of half-fried, half-spicy chicken, and plentiful of pickled radish, since 'ban' means half in Korean and 'mani' means many.

◇ History behind the Korean chicken
Originally, fried chicken from the U.S. was introduced into Korea through the U.S. military in the 1950s during the Korean War.

In the 1960s, when cooking oil was scarce, roasted chicken was popular, but entering the 1970s, the demand for fried chicken began to grow as the supply for cooking oil, flour, and chicken increased.

▲ This photo captured from Lim's Chicken' website shows the original fried chicken menu. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Since Lim's Chicken, Korea's first chicken franchise company that opened in 1977, first-generation chicken franchises such as Pelicana Chicken, Mexicana, and Cheogajip have emerged in the 1980s. Since then, the famous KFC opened in Jongno in 1984, and various chicken franchise companies have emerged one after another, ultimately leading to the establishment of Korean-style chicken.

The idea of eating chicken and drinking beer together became increasingly popular during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. At the time, the term "chimaek" began to appear in media reports as the culture of Korean soccer fans cheering for the Korean team while drinking beer at chicken restaurants arose.

▲ This file photo shows the group of South Korean football players in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup after winning the match. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Starting with Chimaek, it has now become common in Korea to combine the name of snacks served with alcoholic beverages that go well with each other. Examples include "Pimaek" for pizza and beer, and "Pimak," to refer to pizza and makgeolli (Korean rice wine).

◇ How the Korean chicken became globalized
Korea's Chimaek culture became world-famous in 2014 with the drama "My Love From the Star." In the drama, the main character Cheon Song-yi (played by actress Jun Ji-hyun) introduces her favorite food combination as chicken and beer. As the drama became very popular in East Asia, including China and Japan, interest in Chimaek naturally grew.

▲ This photo shows a poster for one of SBS' popular dramas "My Love From the Star." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

In particular, large-scaled groups of Chinese people visited Korea to enjoy the Chimaek culture.

More than 6,000 employees from a Chinese cosmetics retailer visited Korea in 2016 for incentive tourism, and enjoyed the world's largest chimaek party in Wolmido, Incheon.

Since then, Chimaek-themed festivals have been held everywhere in Korea, and the festival itself is being enjoyed overseas as well.

Chimaek is inseparable from Korea's delivery food culture. Chicken is one of the representative delivery foods that Koreans enjoy at home, along with Chinese food, pizza, jokbal, and bossam. As the delivery culture has developed further due to the recent widespread of the novel coronavirus, the popularity of Chimaek continues to grow.

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