Three dishes are rising as Daejeon's signature flavors — pushing seolleongtang and naengmyeon aside
Daejeon revamps its official dishes after 26 years… Survey of 4,314 residents
Picks Daejeon bread, kalguksu and dubu duruchigi — 11 candidates shortlisted
Daejeon revamps its official dishes after 26 years… Survey of 4,314 residents
Picks Daejeon bread, kalguksu and dubu duruchigi — 11 candidates shortlisted
Every city has its own signature flavors: Andong is known for jjimdak, Jeonju for bibimbap, and Cheonan for sundae guk. So what about Daejeon? Until now, the city promoted six official dishes — the "Daejeon 6mi" designated in 2000.
The original Daejeon 6mi included Sutgol naengmyeon (charcoal-cooked cold noodles), Gujeuk acorn jelly, spicy freshwater fish stew from Daecheong Lake, samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), dolsotbap (stone-pot rice) and seolleongtang. But 26 years have passed, and the city decided it was time to make a change.
Daejeon has overhauled its official food list for the first time in 26 years and officially launched the new brand "Taste of Daejeon." At the April 10 meeting of the 2026 1st Daejeon Representative Foods Promotion Committee, the city designated Daejeon bread, kalguksu (hand-cut noodle soup) and dubu duruchigi (spicy stir-fried tofu) as the city's top three tastes.
The overhaul reflects changing dining trends and residents' preferences. With expert advice and a citizens' survey, officials narrowed the field to 11 candidates — including the original six — and followed a selection process to choose the final three.
A combined online and offline poll of 4,314 people put Daejeon bread, kalguksu and dubu duruchigi at the top. Together they earned 68% support online and 81% in face-to-face polling, cementing their symbolic status as representative dishes.
The name "Taste of Daejeon" won 61% support in the naming survey. Officials limited the number of flagship dishes to three to keep the brand focused and make promotion more effective. The committee also plans to expand the food-brand system over time, adding more dishes that Daejeon residents love.
Choi Dong-gyu, director of Daejeon's Sports and Health Bureau, said the shift is meaningful because it moves selection away from an expert-only process and toward one rooted in citizen participation. He added the city will develop the "Taste of Daejeon" brand systematically — centered on Daejeon bread, kalguksu and dubu duruchigi — and turn these dishes into signature food-tourism attractions.
The city plans to develop food-tourism content and ramp up promotion and marketing efforts under the Taste of Daejeon banner.
Jang Ju-young, Travel+ reporter
Maeil Business Newspaper reporter Jang Ju-young | \"I'll take one more step tomorrow.\" I'm a travel reporter who loves discovering new places.
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