Korean New Year: Traditional Dishes That Are Part Of Celebration

Unlike the West, Asian communities celebrate New Year not on January 1 but later in the first month of the year or subsequent months. South Koreans will be celebrating New Year on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. It’s an important holiday for the country and communities gather to prepare traditional dishes that signify good luck, health, and wealth.

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Many of these dishes are prepared in abundance to feed neighbours and friends. From fermented drinks to rice-based delicacies, Koreans will be welcoming New Year 2025 with luscious table spreads and warmth in their hearts.

Sikhye

Sikhye is a sweet rice drink prepared in Korea during the New Year celebration. The recipe includes fermenting rice and malt. Boasting a sweet flavour, the beverage is served at the end of the meal. Not only does it act as a palate cleanser but also uplifts the mood. Many Korean households make it at home.

Sanjeok

Sanjeok is a popular dish in whichvegetable and meat are skewed. The ingredients are marinated for the burst of flavour, charred to perfection, and served. Every skewer looks colourful, and the balance of ingredients on it redefines care in the upcoming year. It’s a delicious dish that is often accompanied by traditional beverages and alcoholic drinks.

Jeon

Jeon is a Korean pancake that signifies celebrations. It is a part of the New Year spread, and people make it in both savoury and sweet variants. Savoury ones are referred to as haemul pajeon (seafood pancakes), and yachae jeon (vegetable pancakes). These are made in bulk and everyone in the family enjoys them to the fullest.

Bokkeum Bap

Bokkeum Bap or Korean fried rice is also an integral part of New Year celebrations in the country. Leftover rice is tossed with sauteed vegetables and eggs to make this delight. It is lightweight, rich in protein, and loaded with vitamins and minerals. It is served among traditional delights on the festive spread.

Tteokguk

Tteokguk is rice cake soup, an iconic dish important to the celebration of New Year in South Korea. It symbolises starting afresh in life and adding a year to the age, which is considered auspicious. Sliced rice cakes are cooked in the broth of red meat or anchovy. Before serving, the dish is often garnished with green onions, seaweed, and eggs.

Galbijjim

Galbijjim is a slow-cooked delicacy in South Korea that produces short, tender, and tasty pieces of red meat ribs. The meat is cooked in a blend of garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. It is a luxurious addition to the spread and speaks volumes of your importance if you are invited to a gathering with it featured on the menu.

The New Year celebrations in South Korea are grand, and each household has their version of what the festive spread would look like. However, each foodscape is vast, luscious, and irresistible. Apart from the aforementioned dishes, people also serve kimchi, traditional sweets, seasonal fruits, cookies, and noodles. These meals not only bring families together but also the entire town where celebrations happen on the common ground.