Gwangjang Market · Bite-Sized Rice Rolls
Mayak Gimbap ('Narcotic' Gimbap)
Photo: bryan... from Taipei, Taiwan / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
'Mayak' means narcotic — a joking way of saying the rolls are addictive — and the same nickname has since been attached to other Korean foods, such as mayak eggs.
Finger-sized rolls of rice, carrot, spinach, and pickled radish are rolled thin without fish cake or meat, sliced small enough to eat in one bite, and dipped in a sharp mustard-soy sauce. Vendors at Gwangjang Market pile them onto trays by the dozen for shoppers to snack on while browsing.
Why it's made this way: Mayak gimbap is most closely tied to Gwangjang Market, where stalls such as Monyeo Gimbap sell the mini rolls with a sharp mustard dipping sauce, and the name and format spread into a nationwide trend.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
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