International appetite drives evolution of South Korean street food

SEOUL -- As in many global cities, the streets of South Korea's capital are filled with vendors selling snacks fit for the season. But street food in Seoul has come a long way since the 1960s, when sweets made with sticky rice and toast made with bread and lard from U.S. military bases reflected Japanese colonial influences and the Korean War.

Roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes remain winter favorites, but street food has taken on new forms and tastes in recent years, not least because of the introduction of foreign ingredients in dishes such as the cheese-filled rice cake tteokbokki and South Korean corn dogs filled with mozzarella cheese. Cooking practices have also changed, with bottled gas largely replacing the coal- or wood-fired grills of former years.