SOUTH KOREA – During the Chuseok festival, South Koreans are expected to make about 37 million trips across the country to visit family, pay respect to ancestors and celebrate the harvest festival.
Spending long hours on a busy highway can be tiring, but rest stops that offer a variety of food and entertainment can help combat fatigue.
Here is a list of some of the most popular dishes at different rest stops around the country.
GINSENG GALBITANG (GINSENG BEEF BONE SOUP)
Geumsan, a district in South Chungcheong province, is famous for Korean ginseng.
Reflecting the special local food, the rest stop area offers a variety of ginseng products and foods and desserts cooked with ginseng.
The delicious and nutritious soup has an enriched flavor, making it the perfect refresher for tired drivers.
SOTTEOK SOTTEOK (SAUSAGE SKEWER AND RICE CAKE)
Sotteok sotteok, the Korean word for sausage (sosiji) and rice cake (tteok), is a popular Korean street food that combines two ingredients on a skewer.
Coated in a sweet and spicy sauce made from gochujang and ketchup, the skewer can be found at almost every rest area.
Anseong stop became very famous after appearing in various popular variety shows.
IMSIL CHEESE CHEOLPAN BIBIMBAP (IMSIL CHEESE FRIED BIBIMBAP)
This dish adds a new twist to the beloved Korean steamed rice bowl with fresh vegetables, marinated meat and spicy gochuchang sauce topped with the famous melted cheese from Imsil, Korea’s first cheese making place.
A bowl of bibimbap is healthy and filling, making it the perfect on-the-go meal. In addition, plant-based Bibimbap is also available.
MACKEREL SALTY ROAST ANDONG
Salted mackerel fish is a local specialty of Andong, North Gyeongsang province. The set menu features pan-grilled mackerel and a bowl of rice and soup including several other side dishes. The mackerel is cooked in a clay oven, resulting in a distinctive crispness on the outside and moist inside.
DAGGAEJANG (SPICE CHICKEN SOUP)
Craving something spicy? Stop at the Manghyang rest stop area, which is famous for its dakgaejang.
The delicious and flavorful soup is cooked for a long time, using various herbs, chicken, vegetables and bay leaves.
HANWOO TTEOK DEODEOK STEAK (BEEF STEAK WITH RICE CAKE AND HERBA LANCE ASIABELL)
The steak combines two special ingredients of Hoengseong District in Gangwon province, hanwoo and deodeok.
Beef steak made from minced beef and rice cake, sprinkled with thinly sliced deodeok on top. – ANN/The Korea Herald