Hwangnam Bread

Gyeongju, South Korea, is home to many historical relics, especially the ancient tombs of kings and nobles near the Ancient Tombs Park. Among these is Hwangnam Pan, a specialty steamed bun from Gyeongju.

Choi Yeong-hwa, a native of Gyeongju, started making Hwangnam-dong bread in 1939. In 1974, after extensive excavation work at Daereungwon, it was moved to its current location in Hwango-dong, and the third-generation owner is now preserving the traditional taste of Hwangnam-bread.

Hwangnam Bread is baked in an oven with plenty of domestically produced red bean paste. The thin crust of freshly baked Hwangnam Bread is crispy and the red bean paste is not sweet, making it a delicious piping hot bread.

Hwangnam Bread, designated as the second designated specialty of Gyeongsangbuk-do, only has one other Hwangnam Bread store in downtown Gyeongju, run by the same brothers, and stores at Gyeongju Station, Dongdaegu Station, and Daegu Station. On weekends, the popular stores near the historic sites are always crowded with tourists who come to buy Hwangnam Bread, and customers have to wait in line for over an hour.

The shelf life of Hwangnam Bread is about 4 to 5 days, and it will become hard after about 3 days, so it is recommended to eat it as soon as possible.

 Price: 1,200 won per piece / 20 pieces: 24,000 won / 30 pieces: 36,000 won 

How to get there: After leaving the Intercity Bus Terminal, walk a short distance to the taxi stand and Gyeongju Tourist Information Center. Walk a little further and you will come to a main road. Turn left on this road and you will see the Express Bus Terminal. With your back to the Express Bus Terminal, go straight to the left and you will see a large ancient tomb on the opposite side of the road. Continue straight past the tomb and the shop will be on your left.