Top 5 Must-Try Korean Foods in Autumn! Plump soy sauce hairy crabs and matsutake mushrooms are in season!

▲ Hairy crab soaked in soy sauce, brimming with rich crab roe, is one of the traditional Korean foods you must try when visiting Korea. (Photo / Korea Tourism Organization, all following images are the same)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

What are the seasonal foods in Korea during autumn? These five Korean autumn delicacies are an absolute must-try! When it comes to autumn, plump crabs naturally come to mind. Thanks to Korea’s three-sided coastline, seafood is abundant. Hairy crabs, prawns, and hairtail caught fresh from the sea......are all delicious seafood treats in the fall. Matsutake mushrooms and persimmons are also the seasonal fungi and fruits in Korea.

▲ Both soy sauce hairy crabs and spicy fermented soybean paste crabs are incredibly tasty.

The western coast of Korea is rich in hairy crabs and prawns during autumn, and many travelers specifically head to South Chungcheong Province to enjoy freshly caught crabs and prawns.Both spring and autumn are peak seasons for hairy crabs. In spring, female crabs are full of roe, making them ideal for making soy sauce crabs. In autumn, male crabs gradually become plumper, and they are best enjoyed steamed to savor their natural flavor.Prawns can be cooked in soups, braised, steamed, or deep-fried. Fresh autumn prawns are sweet and delicious even without added sauces, but they also pair wonderfully with vinegar chili sauce.

▲ Deep-fried prawns can be found in coastal areas and street food stalls.

Late September to early November is when hairtail tastes the best. Koreans prepare hairtail by removing the internal organs and head, extracting the bones, cleaning it thoroughly, and slicing it into thin fillets for......hairtail sashimi. Alternatively, freshly sliced hairtail can be mixed with various leafy greens and vinegar chili sauce to make a refreshing sashimi rice bowl. Whole hairtail can also be coated with coarse salt, placed diagonally on a grill, and slowly roasted over charcoal to bring out its most pure and delicious flavor.South Jeolla Province and South Chungcheong Province are both major producers of hairtail in autumn.

▲ Autumn hairtail, which stores up fat, is plump and delicious, especially when salted and grilled over charcoal.

Autumn also brings fragrant mountain delicacies like matsutake mushrooms. Visiting matsutake-producing regions such as Yangyang County in Gangwon Province or Uljin County, Bonghwa County, and Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province, you’ll easily find many restaurants serving various matsutake dishes. Known as the “diamond of the forest,” matsutake mushrooms are highly nutritious with numerous health benefits, including anti-cancer properties.

▲ Matsutake mushrooms.

Persimmons, a fruit of autumn, are also abundant and affordable in Korea. Rich in vitamins A, B, C, and various minerals, they are excellent for skin beauty and hangover relief. Delicious dried persimmons can be bought at Korean supermarkets. The best persimmon-producing area is Sangju City in North Gyeongsang Province, where Sangju’s Nam-myeon has a persimmon village with over 400 persimmon farmers. Other persimmon-producing areas include Yeongdong County in North Chungcheong Province, Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province, and Gimhae City in South Gyeongsang Province.

▲ Autumn is the season for abundant persimmons, and processed dried persimmons are both cheap and delicious.