Korean confections often feature rice or rice flavors in some way. You might find some familiar treats in this post along with new, strange ones – each worth trying. Whether you’re a fan of chocolate, mint or anything sweet, this list of popular Korean candies and snacks will surely satisfy your sweet tooth.
If you’d like a taste of Korea’s various sweets, keep on reading!
1. Orion Choco Pie – 오리온초코파이
Imagine smores but without the graham crackers. This snack cake features two layers of cake with a chocolate coating and marshmallow filling. One bite swarms your mouth with flavor (so it is hard to just eat one). Whenever I buy these, they don’t last very long.
2. Lotte Anytime Milk Mints – Sugar Free
Cool, refreshing, yet creamy at the same time. This candy is made from 3 layers; the outer layers are a sweet creme flavor, and the inside layer has a strong minty flavor. These are sugar-free as it includes xylitol (sugar alcohol) as a sweetener replacement.
3. Matgouel “Nurungji” Scorched Rice Candy – 누룽지맛 캔디
These are the Korean equivalent of the classic Werther’s caramel candy. It is quite sticky on the teeth so its better to suck it down rather than chew.
If you have ever cooked rice in a rice cooker, it tastes similar to slightly browned rice at the bottom of the pot. This usually happens when you cook with too much heat or too little water.
4. Pepero Chocolate Snack Sticks
These are suspiciously similar to the Japanese snack sticks, Pocky.
Lotte (a South Korean company) began manufacturing Pepero in 1983 whereas Pocky were first made in 1966 by Glico. While Glico has filed lawsuits and complaints against Lotte for trademark or packaging design reasons, you can’t really protect and claim “chocolate on a stick”.
What’s the difference between Pocky and Pepero – tastewise?
According to SoraNews24, Pockys are crunchier and have a bolder chocolate taste whereas Peperos are slightly sweeter. If you did a blindfold test, you couldn’t really tell the difference anyways.
5. Lotte Malang Cow – Milk/Strawberry Creamy Chews
These addicting, individually wrapped chews are like eating milkshake in a taffy form. They are not overly sweet, which may be a bad thing because it’s easy to just grab another one.
Although these candies are chewy, they don’t stick to your teeth. Compared to Hi-Chews, these are a little softer in texture.
Final Thoughts
We hope that after reading this list of popular Korean snacks, you will feel more familiar with Korean tradition and their snacks. Are there any other Korean candies that you particularly enjoy? Or perhaps you’ve already chosen which Korean candy you’ll try next. Let us know!
