South Korea is divided into provinces, and you can usually tell by the naming convention as they usually end with a -do (도). The provinces are:
Within each of these provinces are different cities, towns, districts, villages and more. Just like how countries have representative foods, different regions of South Korea are well-known for different things – be it food, culture, or language. But for today, we’ll be sharing what each region is famous for in terms of fruit!
North Chungcheong (Chungcheongbuk-do, 충청북도)
Yeongdong-gun is a county within the Chungcheongbuk-do region and is home to the country’s largest vineyard. Yeongdong is known for its grapes that have sweet and fresh flavours.
Every summer, Yeongdong has a Grape Festival with various grape-themed activities such as making grape desserts, wine, soap and even dancing in a grape pool!
Due to Covid-19, the festival has been held online since.
South Chungcheong (Chungcheongnam-do, 충청남도)
Located within Chungcheongnam-do is Nonsan, a city known for strawberries. If you’re planning for a strawberry picking experience in Korea, Nonsan is one of the many places in South Korea to do that.
With fertile soil, clean waters, and plenty of sunlight, the city of Nonsan is South Korea’s largest strawberry producer. Previously, the city held a yearly strawberry festival around mid-April showcasing their crisp, juicy and sweet strawberries.
Gangwon (Gangwon-do, 강원도)
When it comes to apples, Gangwon-do comes to mind. The apples are produced in Yanggu at an altitude of 500m to 600m above sea level, which results in high sugar content and firm flesh.
Other areas in Gangwon-do that are known for their apples are Yeongwol and Jeongseon.
Another region in Gangwon-do, Wonju, is known for their peaches. They are grown near the clean Chiaksan Mountain, which results in sweet-tasting peaches.
The speciality of the city is Wonju Peach Cookies, made using peach powder ground from dried Wonju peaches. In the city, you can also find bulgogi marinated with peaches that result in a tender, melt in your mouth texture.
Gyeonggi (Gyeonggi-do, 경기도)
Since Gyeonggi-do is the province surrounding Seoul, most of the cities are filled with apartments and there’s not much farming done compared to some other regions of S. Korea. However, Yeoju in Gyeonggi-do is known for its Korean melon (참외 chamoe in Korean).
There’s even a Korean melon festival in Yeoju!
North Gyeongsang (Gyeongsangbuk-do, 경상북도)
Seongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do is a county that’s really known for Korean melons, also known as Oriental melons. You can spot the fruit from far by its bright yellow skin.
The fruit is a popular favourite during summer and is less sweet than cantaloupes or honeydews. Despite that, the fruit is extremely refreshing and is best eaten fresh.
South Gyeongsang (Gyeongsangnam-do, 경상남도)
Every year since 1992, Changwon in Gyeongsangnam-do holds a Watermelon festival in May where people can purchase the fruit at discounted prices. However, due to the Covid-19 situation, the festival adopted a drive-thru concept where people could purchase watermelons in a safe manner.
North Jeolla (Jeollabuk-do, 전라북도)
Another place in Korea that’s famous for watermelons is Jin An county in Jeollabuk-do. The watermelons from Jin An are said to have a high sugar content as they are cultivated and grown in high-altitude areas, at an average elevation of 350m above sea level.
Also, Jin An only selects watermelons with a sugar content of 11 brix or higher to be shipped, which means sweet watermelons no matter what!
During the summer, Jin An also has a watermelon festival with fun ways to beat the summer heat such as watermelon eating contests, water activities and catching catfish.
South Jeolla (Jeollanam-do, 전라남도)
Jeollanam-do is one of the most exciting regions in South Korea when it comes to food. This is the same when it comes to fruits, with the region known for figs, pears, and plums.
Over at Yeongam, the county accounts for 70% of all the figs grown in Korea. Thanks to the unpolluted air and water conditions in Yeonggam, the figs are of top-quality. You can find these figs on desserts in Korea such as cakes, or even made into bottles of jam.
When it comes to pears, most Koreans will probably mention Naju. The pear is an important part of Korean cuisine, used in marinades for meat, and as a topping for naengmyeon. Unlike Western pears, Korean pears are huge, crisp and sweet!
There’s even a Pear Museum in Naju where you can learn its agriculture history in Korea!
Jeju (Jeju-do, 제주도)
When it comes to fruits in Jeju, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Hallabong!
Hallabong from Jeju is famous for being richer and more fragrant than normal tangerines. They can be easily identified by their protruding sterns, and are packed with Vitamin C.
Another fruit that gained attention in recent years is the Apple Mango, which is grown in Jeju and is known to be sweeter than the typical mango. They are famous during summer as various hotels use them as a topping for bingsu. A bowl of bingsu can be priced as high as 60,000 won!
Fruits in South Korea
What are some of your favourite fruits from South Korea? Make sure to try out these fruits no matter which part of South Korea you visit, be it Peaches from Wonju or Pears from Naju! Do keep a lookout next week as we’ll be sharing the different seasonal fruits of Korea so you know the best fruits to get when you’re in Korea!
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