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Dish guide · Noodles and dumplings

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Kalguksu

칼국수

Knife-cut noodle soup

♨️ Served hot🙂 Not spicy🥬 Not vegetarian

Fresh wheat noodles, cut by hand with a knife, in a hot, comforting broth. The name means "knife noodles".

What it is

  • The dough is rolled out thin, folded and cut into strips, so the noodles are soft and slightly uneven.
  • The broth depends on the restaurant: anchovy and kelp, clams, chicken or beef bone. Vegetables such as zucchini and potato are often added.

Styles & local versions

Jang-kalguksu장칼국수

Gangneung's best-known kalguksu. The broth is seasoned with gochujang and doenjang instead of salt ("jang" means these fermented pastes), so it's red, spicy and savory. Potato and zucchini are common.

How to eat it

  1. 1It usually comes with kimchi, often a fresh, garlicky one. Eat a bite of kimchi with the noodles.
  2. 2Use the spoon for the broth and chopsticks for the noodles.

History

  • The first known recipe that clearly describes kalguksu is in the Eumsik Dimibang, a cookbook written around 1670 by Jang Gye-hyang. Older references to noodles are too vague to be sure.
  • Wheat flour was expensive for a long time. After the Korean War, imported wheat made noodles cheap, and kalguksu became an everyday meal.

Allergies and diet

Usually contains

wheat
  • The broth is almost always made from anchovy, clams, chicken or beef.
  • Some restaurants top it with minced meat or dumplings.
  • Jang-kalguksu is spicy, and its pastes are made with soybeans.

Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.

🗣️ Allergy card for the staff

Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.

📍 Where to try it

Sources

We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-11-04.