Thick chewy wheat noodles topped with glossy dark sauce of fermented black bean paste, pork, onion, zucchini and potato. Korean-Chinese comfort food and Seoul's default delivery dish.

Jajangmyeon (자장면) was created in 1905 at Gonghwachun restaurant in Incheon's Chinatown by Chinese immigrants who adapted Shandong zhajiangmian to Korean tastes; the original Chinese version uses lighter wheat-bean paste, while the Korean version uses caramel-darkened chunjang, which gives the signature lacquered black colour. Seoul absorbed the dish through Korean-Chinese restaurants citywide; by the 1960s it was the default cheap delivery food. South Koreans now eat an estimated 7 million bowls a day. Black Day (April 14) is a Seoul tradition where single people gather to eat jajangmyeon and lament their single status.

1 editor pick for Jajangmyeon in Seoul, ranked by editorial score. All Seoul signature dishes · Jajangmyeon across every city.

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