Cycle 17 – Item 284
Post 6,128
16 (Fri) October 2026
Baek Jjambbong
3.0
-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-
solo
Baek Jjambbong is a Korean-Chinese dish. Aggressively stir-fried pork and/or seafood, topped with chicken stock, served with standard wheat noodles – just like red jjambbong but without gochugaru – resulting in a pale broth (“baek = white”), still be spicy due to white pepper and green chilies. Believed to be derived from chaomamian (炒碼麵) (see sorta 17.231 Jjamppong), originally brought over by Shandonese immigrants (1880s), commercialized at the turn of the century in Incheon Chinatown (Gonghwachun was founded in 1905 – see generally 12.104 Gonghwachun Jjajang Myeon), renamed champon after its resemblance to Nagasaki Champon during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) (see for example 3.069 Nagasaki Champong), eventually becoming jjambbong. The next generation of restaurant owners (starting in the 1960s), many of them native Koreans, often attributed to Gunsan (see for example 16.358 Jeonguk Odae Jjambbong: The Bokseongru), began to adapt the dish to suit local palates by adding gochugaru for extra heat. Ironically, “jjambbong” by default is now the red version, which came much later. Baek jjambbong is not to be confused with udong (see for comparison 2.244 Hayan Jjambbong), another white broth Korean-Chinese noodle soup with a dubiously Japanese name (see generally 1.242 Udong).
Unknown whether baek jjambbong is included in the 100,000,000 bowls of jjambbong claimed to have been made by the restaurant’s founder, but it was very good. Mild yet rich broth, just the right level of kick. Fresh ingredients. Better than their eponymous Ildo Jjambbong (see for comparison 17.176 Ildo Jjambbong).
(See RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)
(See GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
(See HANSIK)
(See BOOZE)