Funky must-try Korean snacks

There are some interesting  Korean snacks or 'gwaja' out there, which I recommend trying because of its uniqueness and great taste. I know the feeling of going into a foreign grocery store and seeing aisles and aisles of brightly coloured packaging, and being astounded by it all. Don't you worry child, I am here to give you that extra confidence next time you step into a Korean grocery store and to save you from looking like a 'pabo'. This has especially happened to me on countless occasions during the early days of my Korean cultural obsession. So, here's my short list of some of those wacky Korean snacks! 

1. Tteokbokki chips/crackers (떡볶이): These chips or crackers or whatever you choose to define them as, are my all time favourite Korean snack. Hands down! The snack tastes just like the Korean street food 'tteokbokki', except crunchy and having a sweeter taste to it. These goodies are just so irresistibly tasty, that I highly recommend. 

2. Kokal corn chips (꼬깔콘): Say Halloween is coming up and you plan on dressing up as a witch, yet you haven't got the appropriate fingernails for it. Don't panic, because you can always resort to Kokal corn chips. I'm kidding, but boy do these chippies remind me of witch finger nails. According to my Korean boyfriend, these snacks are meant to be put on each finger prior to eating them, as it's the "Hanguk way". The snacks don't have an exceptionally unique taste, pretty much taste like typical corn chips but it's
the way these chips are presented that make it something more unique. 

 

3. Corn-shaped ice cream (찰옥수수): Korea has a lot of weird but cool shaped ice creams, I've seen watermelon shaped ones, fish shaped ones and of course ice cream that legitimately looks like your vegetable corn. It's like your eating a soft version of corn on the cob, filled with ice cream inside. This ice cream can pretty much be eaten like an ice cream sandwich, it's just too good to be true! 

4. Whale crackers (고래밥): These are minuscule fishy snacks, that taste like it has been coated in vegetable seasoning. However, if you sniff on the packet closely, it actually has a fish scent to it! These snacks are certainly there to play with your senses. The Korean name of the snack translates to "whale food", and while eating the snacks you truly feel like a whale devouring tiny sea creatures. 

5. Ojingeo Ttangkong (오징어땅콩): The Korean name of these snacks literally translates to squid and peanuts, and this is certainly the highlight of these snacks. The outer coating of the snack has a strong sea-like taste, with a peanut in the center. How I like to eat it, is by licking the outside the then crunching on the inside. These snacks really do have a unique taste to it, which might not accord well with some of your taste buds. If you are however, down to trying new flavours, then this is the perfect snack for you!  

   
6. Spicy chicken pop snack (치킨팝): I've noticed that a lot of Korean food and snacks have this certain mixture of sweet and spicy, which Korean people just can't get enough of. These chicken popping balls are a combination of sweet and spicy, and similar in presentation to KFC's famous popcorn chicken. However, rather than being tender on the inside, these are definitely crunchy! The fact that these snacks are bite-sized pieces, is pretty much an incentive to gobble down a whole packet within a few minutes.

7. Crunky chocolate (크런키): You know what I just realised, the taste of this chocolate was certainly familiar to the mouth at first bite. Now that I think about it, it reminds me of Cadbury's  'Daily Milk Crunchie'. If your a frequent purchaser of Korean choclates, you will notice that the slabs are a whole lot thinner than say, "American" chocolates. I think this makes it easier to break down, literally, you can probably eat the whole bar without getting a stomach ache from the excessive chocolate. The whole packet is very lightweight in nature. This chocolate combined with crunchy malt puffs gives it a very desirable taste, that will probably stay with you for a very long time!