Chinese Korean or Korean Chinese dish?

"Jjajangmyeon" is a dish served at Chinese restaurants in Korea. It features noodles covered in a black sauce, which may look intimidating to foreigners unfamiliar with its ingredients. Some even mistake it for squid ink pasta.🤣 Despite its appearance, Koreans of all ages love it.

Jjajangmyeon’s history began in the late 19th century. When Incheon Port opened in 1883, many Chinese immigrants came from the Shandong Peninsula. Early Chinese settlers opened restaurants to cater to their fellow dock workers. Over time, these original Chinese dishes were adapted to suit Korean tastes, creating jjajangmyeon. It's often called black bean noodles and is made by pan-frying vegetables and meat in a black soybean paste and then pouring it over boiled noodles. It’s a sweet, oily dish high in calories, so it’s best to avoid it if you have diabetes.😢

There are two main groups of Chinese immigrants in Korea. Initially, the Chinese began immigrating during the late 19th century Qing Dynasty. In 1949, after China was divided between the Communists on the mainland and the Nationalists in Taiwan, more Taiwanese came to Korea due to shared political values. The current red-gated Chinese Embassy in Myeongdong used to be the Taiwanese embassy before 1992. Due to the Communist "One China" policy, Korea had to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which angered many Taiwanese, albeit unofficial exchanges have continued via trade offices. After South Korea established formal relations with mainland China in 1992, many ethnic Koreans from China's Manchuria region, known as Joseonjok, migrated to South Korea for work. Thus, Korea has two groups of Chinese immigrants: those from Taiwan and Joseonjok from mainland China. The locations of their Chinatowns differ as well.

Taiwanese who settled in Korea developed Chinese dishes to suit Korean tastes, earning widespread love here. Although the Chinese created these dishes, they are not found in mainland China. Therefore, many Koreans view jjajangmyeon as a Korean dish.

Jjajangmyeon is popular not only in Chinese restaurants but also as instant noodles. It gained even more fame after a scene in the 2020 Academy Award-winning film "Parasite," where a jjajangmyeon-style instant noodle dish was featured.😋

You can find many Taiwanese-run restaurants in areas like Yeonnam-dong, opposite Hongdae. Near the Chinese Embassy in Myeongdong, several Taiwanese-owned eateries also exist. Notably, Korean-run jjajangmyeon restaurants are ubiquitous, like coffee shops.😅 As it’s a beloved national dish, I strongly recommend trying jjajangmyeon without preconceived notions.✔️