Beondegi

Beondegi is a popular Korean street snack made from boiled and seasoned silkworm pupae, a byproduct of the country's centuries-old silk industry. The pupae are simmered until tender, drained, and then stir-fried with a punchy gochujang-based sauce or simply seasoned with salt and a little sugar. The result is a chewy, protein-rich snack with a deep umami flavor that Koreans compare in importance to other everyday street foods like tteokbokki or gyeranppang.

Eating insects is not exotic in Korea: beondegi has been a common sight at street markets, school gates, and traditional medicine halls for generations, and it appears in historical references going back to the Joseon era. The pupae are sold warm from small street carts and from covered trays at night markets, with the vendor ladling them into a small paper cup. Each portion is typically topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, a few drops of toasted sesame oil, or a few grinds of black pepper, and sometimes a toothpick or wooden skewer is provided for eating them tidily.

Beondegi is found across the country but is most associated with Seoul's street-food districts, including Gwangjang Market, Myeongdong's street-food lanes, and Namdaemun Market, and with university neighborhoods such as those around Sinchon and Hongdae. Provincial night markets in Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju also sell them, often alongside tteokbokki, sundae, and twigim. Seasonally, the freshest pupae arrive in late summer and early autumn, after the cocoons have been collected for silk.