Andong, located in the heart of Gyeongsangbuk-do, is a treasure trove of Korean culture and history. For foodies, Andong is probably most famous for its jjimdak, a braised chicken dish that originates from the city. History buffs, on the other hand, might have heard of Hahoe Village, a traditional village dating back to the Joseon Dynasty. I had the pleasure of visiting Andong for a day, and I want to share the amazing sights and delicious foods you can find in Andong.
Andong JJimdak
Jjimdak is a soy sauce braised chicken dish with some vegetables (such as carrot, potatoes, and onion) and glass noodles. It’s sweet from the soy sauce and spicy from the added pepper. Jjimdak originates from Andong, so unsurprisingly, you’ll find tons of jjimdak restaurants there.
I don’t think you can go wrong with choosing a restaurant. However, if it’s your first visit, and you’re anything like me, you have to go to Andong Market Jjimdak Alley (안동시장 찜닭골목). It’s a market like any other traditional market. However, one alley only has jjimdak restaurants.
For lunch, we chose a restaurant that sells ½ chicken Jjimdak. This was the right amount for 2 people. When I try food, or restaurants, for the first time, I usually go for the standard dish in the regular flavor/spiciness level. The spiciness level was slightly less spicy than the nation's unit of measurement for spiciness.. shin ramyeon.
It was delicious. The balance between spiciness and sweetness was perfect. The chicken was great, but that was not what stood out the most. What made it different/better than other jjimdak I have tried before is that the sauce was much more flavorful. And the ingredient that absorbs the most sauce is the glass noodle. The glass noodle with the sauce was fantastic. 10/10 would recommend.
Hahoe Folk Village
Hahoe Village (하회마을) is a traditional Korean village dating back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). The village is located on a bend of the Nakdong River, which provided natural defense against invaders. Hahoe Village produced many scholars and high-ranking officials and is famous for its traditional mask dance. This was performed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.
When you enter the village you first walk through an area with shops and cafes. Then, right before the ticket booth, on the left side, there is a World Mask Museum. Coincidentally I wrote a short paragraph on Korean traditional masks in my post on Korean souvenirs, so I had to take a look. It turned out to be free entry. It’s cool to see a bunch of old Korean masks, as well as masks from India, Mongolia, and many more.
After buying a ticket you can hop on the shuttle bus towards the village. Interestingly enough, over a hundred households still live there. Many of these residents are descendants of the Ryu clan. The Ryu clan was a prominent aristocratic family that founded the village.
Walking around you’ll see that there are two types of houses. There are thatched-roof houses and tile-roofed houses. The lower-class families lived in the thatched-roof houses. These people had jobs like farmers, craftsmen, and fishermen. The upper-class (양반) families lived in the tile-roofed houses. These were scholars, government officials, military officers, and wealthy merchants.
We visited Hahoe Village on a scorching hot day. It was the first time in my 3 years in Korea that I used an umbrella against the sun. So even though it was interesting to see the architecture and learn about the rich history, the best part was trying an ice-cold Asjatchu* (아샷추) for the first time at a cafe with a cute corgi.
* Asjatchu = Ice tea with an espresso shot
Byeongsanseowon Confucian Academy
A 5-minute drive from Hahoe Village is Byeongsanseowon Confucian Academy. It’s considered a part of the village, but with only 3 buses stopping there a day, it's not as easily accessible.
Byeongsanseowon is one of the nine Seowon (Confucian academies). It served as an educational institution and a shrine to Confucius and other renowned Confucian scholars. Students lived and studied the Confucian classics here.
When we got there, it was not as hot anymore, making our visit more comfortable. The academy is a very peaceful place, set in a beautiful natural landscape against the backdrop of Byeongsan Mountain. There were barely any visitors, allowing us to fully appreciate the architecture and serenity.
We sat at the main hall in the sun, looking over the pavilion with nature in the background, and I started reflecting on how different education was back then compared to now. Seeing this beautiful academy and imagining people studying here is very appealing, but it was only available to the rich. Today’s education is accessible to everyone but does not cater to individual strengths and weaknesses.
Andong Galbi
Whereas Andong Jjimdak is very famous, I had not heard of Andong Galbi before. Andong's relatively low rainfall and dry climate with small temperature fluctuations create an ideal environment for cows to thrive. Hanu of the highest quality grade is produced in Andong.
For dinner, we went to Galbi Street, a street full of beef barbecue places serving Andong Hanu Beef. We tried one of the restaurants that was popular with locals. We had normal beef and marinated beef. Because we ordered 3 portions we got some braised beef stew for free. When we ordered 1 extra portion of meat and rice, it came with beef doenjang jjigae. It was delicious, but a lot of food for two people.
After our satisfying galbi dinner, we took a stroll downtown. It was Friday, but the streets were quiet, with most shops and businesses closed for the night. There must be places to go out, but on the surface, it didn’t look like the ideal spot for party people. We were tired from the heat and the number of steps we made anyway, so we enjoyed winding down at the pension instead.
