Naengmyeon, noodle or pasta dish from North Korea: what it is and how it is eaten

Naengmyeon is a Korean dish of long, thin noodles made from buckwheat, potato, or sweet potato starch, served cold. It comes from North Korea, especially Pyongyang and Hamhung, and is enjoyed in both North and South Korea. Naengmyeon is eaten mainly in summer today, but was once a winter specialty. It is served in chilled broth or with spicy sauce, often topped with cucumber, pear, pickled radish, and egg.

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Originated in Pyongyang and Hamhung, North Korea
Noodles made from buckwheat, potato, or sweet potato starch
Served cold, often with icy broth or spicy sauce
Topped with cucumber, pear, radish, egg, and sometimes beef
Mul naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon are the main varieties

What is Naengmyeon?

Naengmyeon is a Korean noodle dish served cold, with long, thin noodles that are chewy and slightly elastic. The noodles are made from buckwheat, potato, sweet potato, arrowroot, or kudzu starch, and sometimes seaweed or green tea. They are placed in a chilled, tangy broth or mixed with a spicy sauce. Typical toppings include cucumber, Korean pear, pickled radish, and slices of boiled egg or beef. The dish is refreshing and often eaten in hot weather, though it was once a winter treat.

Where does Naengmyeon come from?

Naengmyeon originated in northern Korea, especially in Pyongyang and Hamhung. Its history goes back to at least the Joseon period, as described in the 19th-century text Dongguksesigi. After the Korean War, naengmyeon spread throughout both North and South Korea. Traditionally, the noodles were eaten whole to symbolize long life, but today they are often cut with scissors at the table.

How is Naengmyeon made?

To make naengmyeon, noodles are prepared from buckwheat or other starches, boiled, and then rinsed in cold water. For mul naengmyeon, the noodles are served in a bowl of icy broth made from beef, chicken, or radish water kimchi (dongchimi). Bibim naengmyeon is tossed with a spicy gochujang-based sauce. Garnishes such as cucumber, pear, pickled radish, boiled egg, and sometimes beef slices are added. Mustard sauce and vinegar are often provided for extra flavor.

Cold Noodles at Famous Okryu Restaurant. Photo: Uri Tours, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

비빔냉면, Bibim-naengmyeon , ピビンネンミョン. Photo: ayustety (a flickr user), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How and when is Naengmyeon eaten?

Naengmyeon is usually eaten for lunch or dinner, especially in summer, though it was once a winter dish. It is served in large metal bowls to keep it cold. Diners may add mustard sauce, vinegar, or sugar to taste. The noodles are traditionally left uncut, but servers often offer to cut them with scissors. It can be a main meal, often enjoyed on its own or with side dishes.

Kinds of Naengmyeon

The two main types are mul naengmyeon, with cold broth, and bibim naengmyeon, with spicy sauce. Pyongyang naengmyeon uses buckwheat noodles and beef or pheasant broth, while Hamhung naengmyeon features chewier noodles made from potato or sweet potato starch and is often served with marinated raw fish. Jinju-naengmyeon includes seafood and meat in the broth. There are also versions with kimchi, and Chinese and Japanese adaptations exist.

What Naengmyeon means

Naengmyeon is a well-loved dish in both Koreas and has become a symbol of Korean culinary tradition. It is featured in popular culture, such as a hit song named after it. The dish was also served at a historic North-South Korean summit. Instant versions are widely available, showing its popularity and everyday presence in Korean life.

Questions people ask about Naengmyeon

What is naengmyeon made of?

Naengmyeon noodles are made from buckwheat, potato, sweet potato, arrowroot, or kudzu starch. The dish is served with toppings like cucumber, pear, pickled radish, egg, and sometimes beef, in a cold broth or with spicy sauce.

Where does naengmyeon come from?

Naengmyeon comes from North Korea, especially the cities of Pyongyang and Hamhung, but is now enjoyed throughout Korea and in neighboring countries.

How is naengmyeon served?

It is served cold, either in a tangy, icy broth (mul naengmyeon) or mixed with a spicy gochujang-based sauce (bibim naengmyeon). Common garnishes include cucumber, pear, radish, egg, and beef.

When is naengmyeon usually eaten?

Today, naengmyeon is mostly eaten in summer for its refreshing coldness, but it was originally a winter dish. It is typically served for lunch or dinner.

Are there different types of naengmyeon?

Yes, the main types are mul naengmyeon (with broth) and bibim naengmyeon (with spicy sauce). There are also regional and seafood versions, and adaptations in China and Japan.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Naengmyeon", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and it is not dietary or allergy advice: recipes differ from cook to cook. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.

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