Pojangmacha

Template:Short description Template:Italic title Template:Infobox Korean name/auto Pojangmacha (Korean: ; lit. 'covered wagon'Template:Category handler), also abbreviated as pocha (Template:Category handler), is a South Korean term for outdoor carts that sell street foods such as hotteok, gimbap, tteokbokki, sundae, dak-kkochi (Korean skewered chicken), fish cake, mandu, and anju (foods accompanying drinks). In the evening, many of these establishments serve alcoholic beverages such as soju.

Pojangmacha is a popular place for late-night snacks or drinks. The food sold in these places can usually be eaten quickly while standing, or taken away. Some offer cheap chairs or benches for customers to sit, especially the ones serving late-night customers who come to drink soju.

since 2012Template:Dated maintenance category (articles), there were approximately 3,100 pocha in Seoul.

Jongno is the most famous area for pojangmacha but other pojangmacha may be found in Gwangjang Market. Some pojangmacha in Jongno and other areas now offer set menus, with a combination of individual snacks put together on one plate.

History

Pojangmacha developed in the 1950s, after the end of Japanese rule in 1945. Vendors operated then much as they do today, although their equipment has changed. Mobile food carts were made stationary, wooden poles were erected around the cart, and cotton cloth would be hung around the cart to protect it and the customers from the elements. Over time, wood changed to metal, and cotton changed to tarpaulin. Carbide lamps were converted to incandescent lights, fluorescent lights, and then to LEDs.

Popular foods in the 1950s included naengmyeon (cold noodles), sundae (sausages), bindae-tteok (mung bean pancakes), mandu (dumplings), and grilled seafood. During this period, pojangmacha served refugees during the Korean War. Stalls also served alcohol, including soju, makgeolli, and beer.

Since the 1980s, pojangmacha staple foods have reportedly remained relatively consistent. Around that time, stalls in Seoul, particularly in the Gangnam area, began receiving water dedicated water and electricity.

File:Pojangmacha in Haeundae, Busan (917).jpg

Pojangmacha in Haeundae Beach, Busan (2019)

In recent times, pocha has become an aesthetic in itself. They feature prominently in South Korean dramas and films. Some indoor restaurants and bars attempt to replicate the aesthetic, and are dubbed "indoor pojangmacha" (Template:Category handler).

Menu

File:Soju.jpg

Soju, one of the most famous Korean alcoholic drinks

File:Tteokbokki making process step 5.jpg

Korean street food: tteokbokki with rice cake and egg

File:Street eomuk.jpg

Skewered eomuk

Some stalls in Jongno, Seoul, and other places offer set menus. For example, gimbap, tteokbokki, and sundae may be served on one plate.

Drinks

• Soju (Template:Category handler)
• Makgeolli (Template:Category handler)
• Beer

Food

• Dakbal (Template:Category handler)
• Twigim (Template:Category handler)
• Hoe (Template:Category handler)
• Tteokbokki (Template:Category handler)
• Eomuk (Template:Category handler)
• Gyeranmari (Template:Category handler)
• Jeyuk bokkeum (Template:Category handler)
• Kimchi dubu (Template:Category handler)

See also

• Street food in South Korea
• List of markets in South Korea
• Korean drama
• Yatai
• Food cart

External links

• Why Pojangmacha Street Food Is What You Need 10 Magazine, Charles Montgomery, October 26, 2016