Foods That Have ‘Drug’ in Their Names

In Korea, you find food names with ‘mayak’ added like a prefix. The work ‘mayak’ is literally translated as ‘drug,’ but that does not mean the food contains narcotic content. It is used to emphasize the specified food is so addictively delicious. Usually given to simple dishes like tteokbokki or gimbap, the good word of ‘ma-yak’ is dubbed by the eaters, not by the cooks, which means the ma-yak titled foods will increase. There are tens of mayak tteokbokki and mayak gimbap shops in Seoul. Gwangjang Market’s mayak gimbap is well-known to tourists.