Pojangmacha

Pojangmacha
Customers seated at a pojangmacha in Gwangju (2006)
Korean name
Hangul
포장마차
Hanja
布帳馬車
Revised Romanizationpojangmacha
McCune–Reischauerp'ochangmach'a

Pojangmacha (Korean: 포장마차; lit. covered wagon[1]), also abbreviated as pocha (포차), is a South Korean term for outdoor carts that sell street foods such as hotteok, gimbap, tteokbokki, sundae, dak-kkochi (Korean skewered chicken),[2] fish cake, mandu, and anju (foods accompanying drinks).[3] In the evening, many of these establishments serve alcoholic beverages such as soju.[4]

Pojangmacha is a popular place to have a snack or drink late into the night. The food sold in these places can usually be eaten quickly while standing or taken away. Some offer cheap chairs or benches for customers to sit, especially the ones serving late night customers who come to drink soju.[5]

As of 2012, there were approximately 3,100 pocha in Seoul.[6]

Jongno is the most famous area for Pojangmacha but you can still find some decent food in Gwangjang Market. Some pojangmacha in Jongno and other areas now offer set menus, with a combination of individual snacks put together in one plate.

  1. ^ Elisa Ludwig (Mar 14, 2007). "Pojangmacha". citypaper.net. Archived from the original on 2007-03-22.
  2. ^ dakkochi
  3. ^ Yi, Jason (2017-08-15). "Place From A Confessional: Pojangmacha Street Food". The RushOrder Blog. Archived from the original on 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
  4. ^ Goldberg, Lina "Asia's 10 greatest street food cities" Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine CNN Go. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-11
  5. ^ "Korean Food: Street Foods". Life in Korea.
  6. ^ Oh, Esther "Guide to pojangmacha: Why Koreans love drinking in tents" Archived 2012-03-30 at the Wayback Machine CNN Go. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-13