If You Have Food Allergies

Korean restaurants often serve banchan alongside the main order. Banchan are small side dishes served on little plates. Even if the dish you ordered looks safe, an allergen may be in the side dishes, soup, or sauce.

Korean cooking also uses jangnyu (fermented sauces and pastes) frequently. Jangnyu refers to seasonings made by fermenting soybeans. Soy Sauce, Doenjang, and Gochujang are basic seasonings in many dishes. They may contain soybeans, wheat, sesame, or seafood-derived ingredients, so you should check what is in them.

Some restaurants do not mark allergens on the menu. Staff may not immediately know every ingredient. In that case, it is best to say “jubange hwaginhae juseyo” (주방에 확인해 주세요, “Please check with the kitchen.”).

Soybeans are kong (beans/soybeans). In Korean food, they appear in tofu, bean sprouts, doenjang, soy sauce, soybean powder, and more. If you see beans or tofu in the name, as in Doenjang Jjigae, Cheonggukjang, Cold Noodle with Soybean Soup, or Tofu Jorim, you should be especially sure to check. Many meat dishes, including Bulgogi, are also seasoned with soy sauce.

Wheat is likely to appear in flour, noodles, dumpling wrappers, frying batter, and pancake mix. Kalguksu, Sujebi, Dumpling Hotpot, Pajeon, and Kimchi Jeon usually contain wheat flour. Soy sauce or gochujang may also contain wheat, so do not assume “milgaruman ppaemyeon doenda” (밀가루만 빼면 된다, “it is fine as long as they leave out the flour”); you need to check the seasonings too.

You also cannot assume that rice-based foods are always safe. Bibimbap is centered on rice, but it also includes gochujang, sesame oil, egg, and assorted seasoned vegetables. In Tteokbokki, the tteok (rice cakes) may be made with rice, but wheat may be present because of the sauce, eomuk (fish cake), or added ramen noodles.

Sesame is extremely common in Korean food. It appears as ground sesame salt, whole sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Many places sprinkle it on at the end as a garnish for bibimbap, Japchae, Gimbap, namul (seasoned vegetable side dishes), and muchim (seasoned or dressed side dishes). It may be used as a garnish even if it is not written on the menu.

Peanuts and tree nuts are not common in every Korean dish, but they can appear in snacks, tteok (rice cakes), and some sauces. For snacks such as Peanut Candy, Kkaegangjeong, Injeolmi, Yakgwa, and Hotteok, check the fillings, coatings, and syrups. Tteok shops and market snack stalls often make several products in the same space, so it is also wise to ask about possible cross-contact.

Even if you say “kkae ppae juseyo” (깨 빼 주세요, “Please leave out the sesame seeds”), it can be hard to remove sesame oil if it is already mixed into the seasoning. If you have a sesame allergy, it is clearer to mention whole sesame seeds, ground sesame salt, and sesame oil separately.

Crustaceans means ingredients such as shrimp and crab. If they appear in the name, as with Shrimp Fried Rice, Flower Crab Soup, Soy Sauce Marinated Raw Crab, or Shrimp Tempura, they are easy to avoid or check. But ingredients used in small amounts for seasoning, such as salted shrimp, are not always visible.

Shellfish and seafood are often used in broth. Clam Kalguksu, Seafood Stew, Seafood Pancake, and Jjamppong often contain several kinds of seafood together. If you have a seafood allergy, you should ask “haemul yuksu-ingayo?” (해물 육수인가요?, “Is it seafood broth?”).

Fish appears not only in grilled fish and raw fish, but also in broths, salted seafood, and fish cake. Check Grilled Mackerel, Spicy Fish Soup, Eomuk-tang, Stir-fried Anchovies, and Napa Cabbage Kimchi. Kimchi (fermented vegetables) may look like a vegetable dish, but many places use salted seafood or fish sauce. Even if there is a vegetarian label, recipes differ by restaurant, so you should always confirm directly.

Eggs are also called gyeran. Some dishes show egg clearly in the name, such as Steamed Egg, Rolled Omelette (Gyeran-mari), and Egg Bread, while others include it as a secondary ingredient, such as Gimbap, Fried Rice, or the garnish on Naengmyeon. You can ask for the egg on top of Bibimbap to be left out, but it is difficult to remove egg from side dishes or batter that have already been mixed.

Milk and dairy products need to be checked more often in cafés, bread, desserts, and some sauces than in traditional Korean meals. Dairy may also be present in Ice Cream, Patbingsu, Korean-style Hot Dog, and the sauces or batter used for Chicken.

Fried foods are often cooked in shared oil. Even something that looks simple, such as French Fries, should be checked to see whether shrimp, squid, or Chicken is fried in the same oil. If you are concerned about cross-contact, it is best to ask about the cooking setup before ordering.

If you have an allergy, say so briefly and clearly before ordering. “Allereugiga isseoyo” (알레르기가 있어요, “I have an allergy”) is more precise than “mot meogeoyo” (못 먹어요, “I can’t eat it”). If possible, show a note or phone screen with the allergen written in Korean.

• Soybeans: soybeans, tofu, doenjang, soy sauce, soybean powder
• Wheat: flour, noodles, dumpling wrappers, frying batter, pancake mix
• Sesame: sesame seeds, ground sesame salt, sesame oil
• Peanuts: peanuts, peanut powder, nuts
• Crustaceans: shrimp, crab, salted shrimp
• Fish: fish, anchovies, fish sauce, fish cake
• Eggs: egg, egg garnish
• Milk: milk, butter, cheese, cream

If a staff member says “jogeum deureogayo” (조금 들어가요, “There is a little in it”), you need to decide for yourself whether that is safe for you. This guide is not medical advice. Safety depends on your individual allergy and on how the restaurant prepares its food.

Check the menu name, seasoning, broth, garnish, side dishes, and cooking oil one by one. Soups, hotpots, stir-fries, and dressed dishes in particular often contain many ingredients mixed together. Set meals come with many side dishes, which means there is more to check.

Even if a request is possible, not every restaurant can leave out ingredients when cooking. Many places use broths, sauces, and batters that have already been prepared. If staff cannot give you a definite answer, it is safer to choose another dish or find another restaurant.

Packaged foods and market foods also need to be checked. During busy times, detailed explanations may be difficult. If you have an allergy, it is best to order during quieter hours or choose a restaurant where ingredients are easier to confirm.