You may not be familiar with Jokbal, but what about Pig's trotters, Zampone, Crubeens, Pied de cochon, or Tebichi? All of these dishes come from different countries, but they all have the same main ingredient in common - pig's feet! Like in many other countries, Koreans like to enjoy a plate of pig's feet, or jokbal, every once in a while. And they all know that the best place to go for the tastiest jokbal in Seoul is Jokbal Alley in Jangchung-dong. Jangchung-dong is so famous for its jokbal that jokbal restaurants that aren't even located in Jangchung-dong will call their jokbal "Jangchung-dong Jokbal".
 What is Jokbal? Jokbal (족발) is a boiled and seasoned pig’s trotters dish, made by boiling pigs’ feet in water along with leeks, garlic, ginger, cheongju (청주; rice wine), sugar and gangjang (간장; Korean soy sauce). The bones are removed and the meat is cut into thick slices before serving. Like bossam, it is served on a large platter meant to be shared with other diners, and eaten with saeujeot (새우젓; salt fermented shrimp). Due to its unique greasiness and strong flavor, jokbal is eaten in the same manner as other Korean grilled meats are eaten, wrapped in lettuce along with other vegetables. As jokbal is considered an anju, it is often eaten with soju or other alcoholic beverages. |
Jokbal is known to be good for the skin due as it contains rich amounts of gelatin derived from the collagen inside the pork skin. This natural collagen improves skin elasticity and is effective at preventing wrinkles. Jokbal is also known to be effective at preventing hangovers. For these reasons and more, jokbal has been eaten by Koreans for many centuries. Some of the earliest records of jokbal date back as far as the early 1600s, in the famous traditional Korean medical book, Dongui Bogam.
Dongui Bogam The Dongui Bogam (동의보감) is a Korean medical book compiled by the royal physician, Heo Jun (1546 – 1615) and was first published in 1613 during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. The book is regarded important in traditional Korean medicine and one of the classics of Oriental medicine today. On July 2009 it was registered as part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme, an international initiative launched to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity. |
| Left: Ddungddungi Halmeoni Jib | Right: In her mid-80s and still going strong, Grandma Jeon Suk-nyeol attributes her health to eating jokbal every day. |
Jokbal Alley first began over 50 years ago when Grandma Jeon Suk-nyeol moved her 10-year-old jokbal restaurant from Pyeongyang down to Seoul. What started as one little restaurant with only 4 tables has become a popular food destination with 9 different restaurants all specializing in jokbal! And although Grandma Jeon Suk-nyeol's restaurant has been around the longest, the other restaurants in the alley have been around for nearly as long, the youngest one being about 30 years old.
Ddungddungi Halmeoni Jib Restaurant's 50-year-old Secret Recipe
The secret to Ddungddungi Halmeoni Jib's delicious jokbal lies with the big iron pot in the middle of their kitchen. This big iron pot has been cooking jokbal for over 50 years, its broth simmering with seasonings and flavors that have had over 50 years to blend and fuse into a concoction that yields sublimely delicious jokbal to this day. Every piece of jokbal simmers in this pot for no less than two and a half hours to ensure optimum tenderness.
And the seasonings used to make jokbal here aren't just any ol' seasonings. The ganjang (간장; Korean soy sauce) used is homemade, made from meju made from scratch (메주; blocks of fermented soy beans) that is lovingly left to ferment for several years. The salt used is natural sea salt collected from Korea's southern coast and the saeujeot used as a dipping sauce is made from fresh shrimp caught off the coast by local fishermen.
| Left: A hemp bag filled with garlic, onions and ginger is thrown into the pot to add flavor and aroma. | Right: Delicious freshly-made jokbal! |
| Left: This cave-like room was used as an air-raid shelter in the 1900s. Now its being used as a storage room for jokbal ingredients made from scratch! | Right: Homemade saeujeot |
How to Eat Jokbal
If you prefer your meat tender, then order jokbal made from the back legs. But if you enjoy meat that is chewier in texture, order jokbal made from the front legs. When you order, the first thing that will come out is the banchan. The banchan that comes out differs with every jokbal restaurant, but generally jeon (also known as buchimgae) dishes are a popular accompaniment, along with dongchimi and kimchi. Lettuce and perilla leaves are also commonly served, used to wrap up the jokbal before eating.
 Makguksu Makguksu is a buckwheat noodle dish served in a chilled meat-based broth or mixed with gochujang (고추장; red chili pepper paste) and vinegar. It is very similar to naengmyeon (냉면; the archetypal Korean cold noodle dish) in many ways, but differs in that it has a higher concentration of buckwheat flour in its noodles and that greater amounts of vegetables are used. The dish gets its name—"rough noodles"—from the fact that the buckwheat used is generally unhulled. |
 Jeon / Buchimgae Jeon (전), also known as buchimgae (부침개), are savory pancake-like dishes made by mixing various ingredients such as sliced meats, poultry, seafood and vegetables into rice or wheat flour-based batter (sometimes also coated with egg batter) and then pan-frying the mixture with oil. This dish tastes best when it is dipped in a sauce made of ganjang (간장; Korean soy sauce), vinegar and gochugaru (고춧가루; red chili pepper powder). |
 Dongchimi Dongchimi (동치미) is a non-spicy variety of kimchi consisting of mu (무; daikon, a type of white radish), baechu (배추, napa cabbage), spring onions, fermented green chili, ginger, Korean pears. All of the ingredients are left to ferment in a light watery brine. Many people enjoy dongchimi because of its clean, refreshing taste! |
| You can wrap up jokbal in lettuce or perilla leaves, dip it in saeujeot, or even eat it with makguksu! The choices are endless! |
Dipping jokbal in saeujeot is not only delicious, it has been scientifically proven to be the perfect accompaniment to jokbal! Because saeujeot is a fermented food, it contains living enzymes that naturally break down the protein in jokbal. So in a way, saeujeot can be considered a natural digestive aid!
And don't forget the makguksu! Nearly all jokbal restaurants will have makguksu on their menu - that's how much of a complement it is to jokbal! The tangy flavor of makguksu goes great with the savoriness of the jokbal. Last but not least, make sure you order some soju or beer to wash it all down with!
How to Get There
Take subway line 3 to Dongguk Univ. Station and go out exit 3. Walk straight for a couple of minutes and you'll reach the beginning of Jokbal Alley.
Restaurant
|
Phone
|
Hours
| |
| A | Jokhoegwan (족회관) | 02-2275-0863 | 10 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. |
| B | Pyeongnam Jokbal (평남족발) | 02-2275-7580 | 9:30 a.m. - 11 p.m. |
| C | Gangwon Jokbal (강원족발) | 02-2279-8634 | 10 a.m. - 2 a.m. |
| D | Wonjo ilho Jangchungdong Halmeoni Jib (원조1호장충동할머니집) | 02-2279-9979 | 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. |
| E | Pyeongando Jokbal Jib (평안도 족발집) | 02-2279-9759 | 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. |
| F | Ddungddungi Halmeoni Jib (뚱뚱이할머니족발집) | 02-2273-5320 | 24/7 |
| G | Pyeongbuk Halmeoni Jib (평북 할머니집) | 02-2275-2417 | 9:30 a.m. - 2 a.m. |
| H | Nodaji Jokbal (노다지족발) | 02-2278-0557 | 11 a.m. - 5 a.m. |
| I | Hanyang Jokbal (한양족발) | 02-2265-8033 | 10 a.m. - 6 a.m. |
Prices
Jokbal: Small 25,000 won / Medium 30,000 won / Large 35,000 won
Makguksu: Small 10,000 won / Large 15,000 won
Cost per person: Approx. 15,000 won
Added Bonus!
There are several major tourist attractions located nearby Jokbal Alley. If you're going for lunch, why not go for a stroll afterwards in Jangchungdan Park? Or if you're going at night, you can head over to Dongdaemun Market for some late night shopping!
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