''Pojangmacha'' (), also abbreviated as ''pocha'' (), is a South Korean term for outdoor carts that sell

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

s such as '' hotteok'', ''

gimbap ''Gimbap'' (; ), also romanized as ''kimbap'', is a Korean cuisine, Korean dish made from Bap (rice dish), ''bap'' (cooked rice), vegetables, and optionally cooked seafood or meat, rolled in ''gim (food), gim''—dried sheets of seaweed—and s ...

'', ''

tteokbokki () or simmered rice cake, is a popular Korean food made from small-sized (long, white, cylinder-shaped rice cakes) called () or commonly (). * ''Eomuk'' (fish cakes), boiled eggs, and scallions are some common ingredients paired with ''tteo ...

'', ''

sundae A sundae (Sunday Ice) () is an ice cream frozen dessert of American origin that typically consists of one or more scoops of ice cream topped with a sweet sauce or syrup and other toppings such as sprinkles, whipped cream, marshmallows, chocola ...

'', '' dak-kkochi'' (Korean skewered chicken), ''

fish cake A fishcake (sometimes written as fish cake) is a culinary dish consisting of filleted fish or other seafood minced or ground, mixed with a starchy ingredient, and fried until golden. Asian-style fishcakes usually contain fish with salt, water, ...

'', ''

mandu Mandu may refer to: Geographic toponyms * Mandu River, a river in Minas Gerais, Brazil * Mandu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, a village * Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, a ruined city in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, India * Mandu, Jharkhand, ...

'', and '' anju'' (foods accompanying drinks). In the evening, many of these establishments serve alcoholic beverages such as

soju Soju (English pronunciation: ; ) is a clear and colorless distilled alcoholic beverage from Korea, traditionally made from rice, but later from other grains and has a flavor similar to vodka. It is usually consumed neat. Its alcohol content ...

. ''Pojangmacha'' is a popular place for late-night snacks or drinks. 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. , there were approximately 3,100 pocha in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

.Oh, Esthe
"Guide to pojangmacha: Why Koreans love drinking in tents"
''CNN Go''. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-13

Jongno Jongno or Jong-ro () is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in Seoul, South Korea. Jongno connects Gwanghwamun Plaza to Dongdaemun. The area surrounding Jongno is a part of Downtown Seoul and one of the most ...

is the most famous area for Pojangmacha but you can still find some decent food in

Gwangjang Market Gwangjang Market (), previously Dongdaemun Market (), is a traditional street market in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. The market is one of the oldest and largest traditional markets in South Korea, with more than 5000 shops and 20,000 emp ...

. Some pojangmacha in Jongno and other areas now offer set menus, with a combination of individual snacks put together in one plate.

History

''Pojangmacha'' developed in the 1950s, after the end of Japanese rule in 1945. Vendors operated then much as they do today, although their equipment has changed. Mobile food carts were made stationary, wooden poles were erected around the cart, and cotton cloth would be hung around the cart to protect it and the customers from the elements. Over time, wood changed to metal, and cotton changed to

tarpaulin A tarpaulin ( , ) or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinf ...

Carbide lamp A carbide lamp or acetylene gas lamp is a simple lamp that produces and burns acetylene (C2H2), which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O). Acetylene gas lamps were used to illuminate buildings, as lighthouse beac ...

s were converted to incandescent lights,

fluorescent Fluorescence is one of two kinds of photoluminescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, many substances will glow (fluoresce) with color ...

lights, and then to

LEDs A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (correspo ...

. Popular foods in the 1950s included ''

naengmyeon ''Naengmyeon'' * (, in South Korea) or ''raengmyŏn'' (, in North Korea) is a noodle dish of North Korean origin which consists of long and thin handmade noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients, including most commonly bu ...

'' (cold noodles), ''

'' (sausages), '' bindae-tteok'' (mung bean pancakes), ''

'' (dumplings), and grilled seafood. During this period, ''pojangmacha'' served refugees during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. Stalls also served alcohol, including ''

'', ''

makgeolli ''Makgeolli'' (), sometimes anglicized to makkoli (, ), is a Korean alcoholic drinks, Korean alcoholic drink. It is a milky, off-white, and lightly sparkling rice wine that has a slight viscosity, and tastes slightly sweet, tangy, bitter, and astr ...

'', and beer. Since the 1980s, ''pojangmacha'' staple foods have reportedly remained relatively consistent. Around that time, stalls in Seoul, particularly in the Gangnam area, began receiving water dedicated water and electricity. In recent times, ''pocha'' has become an aesthetic in itself. They feature prominently in South Korean dramas and

films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...

. Some indoor restaurants and bars attempt to replicate the aesthetic, and are dubbed "indoor ''pojangmacha''" ().

References

External links

Why Pojangmacha Street Food Is What You Need
''10 Magazine'', Charles Montgomery, October 26, 2016 {{Street food Food retailers of South Korea Street food in South Korea Types of drinking establishment

History

Menu

Drinks

Food

See also

References

External links