Finding Ingredients in Korea - Store Guide

Although every time I return to the UK or US for a vacation I bring back a suitcase load of spices, I try to make sure every recipe featured on this blog uses ingredients which are available to buy in Korea.

All but the most obscure of foodstuffs can be found in Korea via online stores. To order you will need to be able to read Korean (or have someone help you). Whilst foreigners are unable to register as members for many Korean internet sites (a korean national identity number is often required), all sites below will at the very least allow purchases from non-members.

I will update this list with any further websites which I discover. If you have any to add to the list please leave a comment at the bottom.

Korean Language Sites

http://www.gourmetfb.co.kr - An amazing selection of foie gras, truffles, caviar and deli meats.

http://www.52cheese.co.kr - Reasonably priced imported cheeses from all over Europe.

http://www.asia-mart.co.kr - Fresh herbs, couscous, lentils, chickpeas and virtually every asian ingredient you can think of.

http://www.goldriver.cn - Similar selection to Asia Mart but includes frozen vegetables and halal meat.

http://www.wellborn.co.kr - A wide selection of quality beef, pork and lamb.

http://www.kgvau.co.kr - Lots of different cuts of lamb difficult to find elsewhere.

http://www.junfood.co.kr - Usually have a good deal on salmon and many other kinds of fish. Also sell a selection of frozen fruit.

English Language Sites

http://www.gmarket.co.kr - Just like Ebay in the west, here you can find just about anything you could ever want. Whilst the sign up and members pages are all in English you will need to use Korean to search for items and read the descriptions.

http://www.nicedeli.com - Perfect for those not living in the big cities, nicedeli will ship hard to find items to your door. Customer service is excellent - if what you want isn't on their site they will try to track it down for you. Famous for its huge selection of deli meats.

http://www.ezshopkorea.com - Basically they will go to costco for you and ship the items to your door. They do sell some non-costco products too as well as some American cheeses.