[Hapcheon County, Gyeongnam] Introducing 3 of 8 key tastes of Hapcheon

[Hapcheon County, Gyeongnam] Introducing 3 of 8 key tastes of Hapcheon 

Hapcheon County is all about cooking with fresh, natural ingredients that are hard to find in city areas like Seoul. Today, we will introduce three tastes that are among Hapcheon's official list of eight tastiest foods. 

 <Find the best spicy freshwater fish stew restaurants in Hapcheon County near the Hapcheon Lake.>

▶ Spicy freshwater fish stew, offered near Hapcheon Lake

Hapcheon Lake is the largest artificial lake in Gyeongnam, and it's also home to diverse fishes, including carps and gray mullets, among others. 

Near the lake, you'll find a myriad of restaurants serving freshwater fishes usually in spicy stew with vegetable toppings.  

<Hapcheon Lake is a paradise for local fishermen.>

If you want to cook with your own catch from the Hapcheon Lake but don't necessarily know how, try boiling it in weak heat for an extended period of time, because the fish usually tastes best in thick soup. 

▶ Herbal full-course meal

Haeinsa Temple is one of the most renowned temples in Korea, and the reason why it oddly made it on Hapcheon County's eight main tastes is that surrounding eateries serve excellent herbal full-course meals.

<Herbal full-course meals offer visual amusement as well.>

Over 20 side dishes are served in an herbal full-course meal in Hapcheon County, of which most are made out of fresh vegetables collected from Mount Gaya, located nearby. 

Each vegetable served on the table contains an abundant amount of vitamins and minerals, which elements are effective for easing fatigue. 

▶ Traditional Korean sweets in Hapcheon are grilled, not fried

Traditional snacks made in Hapcheon are so famous that they are exported to foreign markets. The fresh, natural ingredients used in making the sweets are what make them one of the best in the entire country. 

<Traditional Korean desserts served in Hapcheon.>

Hapcheon is also famous for traditional Korean desserts called "hangwa" because the treats aren't fried, but grilled on iron pots. Unlike other sweets that are usually made by sugar, those grilled in Hapcheon use onion juice and malt instead. 

▶ How to get to Hapcheon County

The fastest way to get to Hapcheon County, when starting from Seoul or Gyeonggi Province, is by an express bus. The Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal provides six 4-hour bus rides each day to Hapcheon County. For more information, visit www.nambuterminal.co.kr or call 02-521-8550.

Direct bus rides leading to the Hapcheon Image Theme Park and Mount Hwangmae are provided at the Hapcheon Inter-City Bus Terminal, too. For more information, call 055-931-4456. 

※ Relevant information

▶ Hapcheon County cultural tour

-Homepage: http://culture.hc.go.kr/

-Contact: 055-930-3114