The Food Service Industry Targets Appetites Weakened by the Midsummer Heat

Photo by Jeiljemyeonso

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] As hot weather continues day after day, consumers seeking spicy and tangy cold noodle dishes or spicy foods in an 'i-yeol-chi-yeol' (fighting fire with fire) style are increasing. The food and dining industry is targeting consumers with menus that revive appetites worn out by the heat.

School Food, a snack franchise, features its ‘Ododok Jjanga-chi Mul-naengmyeon’ which uses its signature delicacy ‘Ododok Spicy Jjanga-chi’ to add a crunchy texture. Additionally, School Food’s jjanga-chi has a unique umami flavor, making it perfect for stimulating the appetite during summer. In fact, sales of Ododok Jjanga-chi Mul-naengmyeon rose 44% in the second quarter compared to the first quarter this year.

Another popular menu item from School Food featuring Ododok Spicy Jjanga-chi, ideal for revitalizing summer appetites, is ‘Shin Kimchi Maliguksi’. ‘Shin Kimchi Maliguksi’ also gained more popularity in the hot weather, showing a 22% increase in sales compared to the first quarter. This dish is topped with deliciously fermented shin kimchi and jjanga-chi to add richness, and offers a harmonious taste with its savory special broth and various garnishes.

Jeil Jemyunso’s ‘Myeongtaehoe Bibim Naengmyeon’ is a dish topped with seasoned pollock sashimi on cool buckwheat noodles that refresh the heat. The chewy texture of the sweet and sour pollock sashimi salad stimulates tired appetites. Jeil Jemyunso also launched a buckwheat fresh noodle mul-naengmyeon alongside the Myeongtaehoe Bibim Naengmyeon.

Spicy foods that help forget the heat by fighting fire with fire are also very popular in summer. Hot and spicy foods promote blood circulation, induce sweating, revive tired appetites, and help relieve stress.

Theborn Korea’s seolleongtang and bulgogi specialty brand Insaeng Seolleongtang targeted consumers trying to overcome the heat with spicy foods by launching ‘Gukmul Bullsji’, known for its fiery spiciness. This menu was newly developed based on the existing ‘Bullsji’ menu, and the chewy bullsji enjoyed with spicy broth is praised not only for stimulating the appetite but also for being excellent in relieving stress.

Du Jjim collaborated with Bulmawang Ramen, known as the spiciest ramen in Korea, to introduce ‘Bulmawang Buldak’. This Bulmawang Buldak is a stir-fried style dish with almost no broth, characterized by extreme spiciness. Using Bulmawang sauce to emphasize powerful heat, this menu is expected to invigorate the tired appetites of consumers who prefer spicy flavors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.