[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

Korean fried chicken has topped a global ranking of fried dishes, beating out entries from around the world. It also claimed the top spot among Korean foods, outranking galbi and kimchi stew.

According to TasteAtlas, a global food and travel guide, Korean fried chicken — listed as "Chikin" — received a rating of 4.4 out of 5 to rank first on the site's "100 Best Fried Foods in the World" list as of Sept. 15.

Indonesia's batagor, a popular street food made of fried fish-filled mandu served with a peanut, soy sauce and chili dipping sauce, came in second.

Peru's jalea, a seafood fry of fish, squid and shrimp served with an onion and tomato salad, placed third. Morocco's makuda, a fried potato dish popular across North Africa, ranked fourth.

Japan's katsu curry came in fifth, and Italy's fritto misto di pesce — a mixed seafood fry — placed sixth. Japanese fried chicken karaage ranked eighth.

TasteAtlas credited Korean fried chicken's crispy texture and wide variety of sauces as the key factors behind its appeal.

The site highlighted the double-frying technique: the chicken is first cooked at a relatively low temperature, then fried again at higher heat to achieve a crunchier exterior.

A thin batter coating was also noted as a distinguishing feature, preserving the chicken's natural texture while keeping the surface crisp.

The range of sauces sets Korean fried chicken apart as well. Options run from spicy-sweet gochujang-based yangnyeom chicken to soy garlic and honey butter varieties. The sauce is either tossed with the fried chicken or brushed onto the surface.

TasteAtlas also described the custom of serving chicken with pickled radish and coleslaw. Chimaek — the pairing of fried chicken with beer — was cited as a defining cultural practice associated with Korean fried chicken.

The site also traced how fried chicken became a mainstream food in South Korea.

TasteAtlas said American-style fried chicken was introduced to Koreans through US military personnel during the Korean War.

The domestic chicken industry then grew through the 1970s and 1980s as dedicated chicken restaurants and franchise chains multiplied. Businesses began incorporating a wider range of seasonings and sauces into the original fried chicken format. Products using gochujang and soy sauce emerged, giving rise to a distinctly Korean fried chicken market that set itself apart from the American original.

From the 2000s onward, Korean fried chicken spread overseas. As Korean chicken brands entered foreign markets on the strength of their crispy batter and diverse sauces, the profile of Korean-style fried chicken rose internationally.

Korean fried chicken also topped TasteAtlas's separate "100 Best Korean Foods" ranking.

As of Wednesday, chicken led the Korean food list with a rating of 4.4.

Galbi — beef ribs marinated and grilled — came in second. TasteAtlas described the dish's appeal as the balance of sweet and savory flavors from a marinade of soy sauce, sugar, cheongju rice wine, sesame oil and garlic.

Beef tenderloin ranked third. The site noted that because the cut comes from a part of the animal that sees little movement, the meat is tender and considered a premium ingredient.

Dak-galbi, a spicy stir-fried chicken dish representative of Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, placed fourth. It is made by stir-frying chicken with cabbage, rice cakes and sweet potato in a spicy sauce. The site also mentioned the practice of frying rice in the leftover sauce at the end of the meal.

Kimchi stew ranked fifth and yukhoe — Korean beef tartare — sixth. Tuna kimbap, gejang (marinated raw crab), jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) and sangchu-ssam (lettuce wraps) rounded out the seventh through tenth spots.

Notably, Korean fried chicken scored higher than kimchi and bibimbap — two of the country's most iconic traditional foods — underscoring that more recently popularized dishes can now stand alongside culinary staples as representatives of Korean cuisine.

TasteAtlas rankings are determined by user ratings submitted on the site.

The site said it filters out ratings generated by automated programs and those deemed to favor foods from a particular country. Ratings from users judged to have genuine knowledge and experience with food receive additional weight.

As of Sept. 15, the global fried foods ranking had received a total of 28,786 ratings, of which 22,794 were counted as valid.

The Korean foods ranking, as of Wednesday, drew 8,430 total ratings, with 7,514 factored into the final standings.

TasteAtlas said the purpose of its rankings is not to establish an absolute hierarchy among the world's cuisines, but to promote traditional foods and food cultures from different regions and to encourage broader interest in diverse dishes.

In this assessment, Korean fried chicken ranked first among fried foods worldwide and topped the Korean food category as well. The dish — distinguished by its double-frying method and diverse sauces — has now earned high marks on the international culinary stage.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com