Fruit (7)
Persimmon
Two kinds: crisp sweet persimmon (dan-gam) eaten like an apple, and astringent varieties dried i...
Jujube
Eaten fresh and apple-crisp in early autumn, then dried for tea, samgyetang, and rice cakes. Boe...
Fig
Korean figs ripen soft and jammy on the tree rather than in transit, so the domestic season is s...
Chestnut
Autumn chestnuts are roasted in street braziers, steamed, or simmered into rice and braised dish...
Korean Pear
Bae is huge, round, and closer to an apple in texture — crisp, watery and lightly sweet. Also us...
Apple
Autumn is when Korean apples earn their reputation — Fuji-type varieties from Daegu and Andong,...
Pomegranate
Korean pomegranate season is short and mostly domestic. Eaten fresh by the seed or pressed into...
Vegetable (3)
Sweet Potato
Goguma is a Korean staple: dense, honey-sweet varieties roasted whole in foil or over coals. Aut...
Kabocha Squash
Dense, dry-fleshed and genuinely sweet — steamed and eaten plain, blended into soup, or baked in...
Carrot
Autumn carrots are sweetest after cold nights. Jeju is Korea's main growing region and supplies...
Seafood (7)
Hairtail
A long silver ribbon fish, prized in autumn. Jeju hairtail is the premium grade — salt-grilled,...
Mackerel
Autumn mackerel carries the most fat of the year. Salt-grilled (godeungeo-gui) is the default pr...
Small Octopus
Nakji is thinner-limbed and more tender than common octopus. Eaten in fiery stir-fries, or brief...
White Shrimp
Autumn daeha are large and sweet, most often cooked live on a bed of coarse salt in a covered pa...
Spanish Mackerel
Samchi is softer and milder than common mackerel, with fat peaking in the cold months. Salt-gril...
Squid
Late-summer squid is thick-walled and sweet. Korean cooking uses it three ways — flash-grilled,...
Gizzard Shad
Jeoneo is the autumn fish Koreans have a proverb about. Fatty and bony, scored and salt-grilled...
Mushroom (2)
Pine Mushroom
Songi is the most expensive mushroom in Korea — wild, unfarmable, and intensely aromatic. Torn b...
Shiitake
Meaty and umami-dense, shiitake appears in spring and again in autumn. Grilled with sesame oil a...
Greens & Herbs (2)
Deodeok Root
Aromatic and resinous, deodeok is pounded flat, brushed with gochujang and grilled. The smell is...
Bellflower Root
Doraji is bitter, fibrous and slightly medicinal — soaked, hand-rubbed with salt to draw the bit...
At a glance
| Item | Korean | Category | Peak months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persimmon | 감 | Fruit | Oct, Nov |
| Jujube | 대추 | Fruit | Sep, Oct |
| Fig | 무화과 | Fruit | Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov |
| Chestnut | 밤 | Fruit | Sep, Oct |
| Korean Pear | 배 | Fruit | Sep, Oct, Nov |
| Apple | 사과 | Fruit | Sep, Oct, Nov |
| Pomegranate | 석류 | Fruit | Sep, Oct |
| Sweet Potato | 고구마 | Vegetable | Aug, Sep, Oct |
| Kabocha Squash | 단호박 | Vegetable | Sep, Oct |
| Carrot | 당근 | Vegetable | Oct, Nov |
| Hairtail | 갈치 | Seafood | Sep, Oct, Nov |
| Mackerel | 고등어 | Seafood | Sep, Oct, Nov |
| Small Octopus | 낙지 | Seafood | Sep, Oct, Nov |
| White Shrimp | 대하 | Seafood | Sep, Oct |
| Spanish Mackerel | 삼치 | Seafood | Jan, Feb, Oct, Nov, Dec |
| Squid | 오징어 | Seafood | Aug, Sep, Oct |
| Gizzard Shad | 전어 | Seafood | Sep, Oct |
| Pine Mushroom | 송이버섯 | Mushroom | Sep, Oct |
| Shiitake | 표고버섯 | Mushroom | Apr, May, Sep, Oct |
| Deodeok Root | 더덕 | Greens & Herbs | Oct, Nov |
| Bellflower Root | 도라지 | Greens & Herbs | Jan, Oct, Nov, Dec |