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Korean Spice Level Quiz 맵기 테스트

Eight quick questions. At the end you get a level, dishes you will love, dishes to approach with a glass of milk, and the exact Korean words to say at the counter.

Your Korean spice level
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Order with confidence
Approach with milk
Nunchi tip

How to ask for less (or more) heat

SayMeans
안 맵게 해 주세요 an maepge hae juseyoPlease make it not spicy
덜 맵게 해 주세요 deol maepge hae juseyoPlease make it less spicy
보통으로 주세요 botong-euro juseyoMedium, please
더 맵게 해 주세요 deo maepge hae juseyoMake it spicier
이거 많이 매워요? igeo mani maewoyo?Is this very spicy?

Not every dish can be adjusted. Kimchi jjigae and tteokbokki come as they come. Dishes cooked to order (jjamppong, dakgalbi, many soups) can usually be toned down if you ask when ordering, not after.

Korean heat is a different heat

Korean spice comes from gochugaru (chilli flakes) and gochujang (fermented chilli paste): warm, slightly sweet, building rather than sharp. It is milder than Thai bird's-eye or Sichuan numbing, but it accumulates. Bite five of tteokbokki is hotter than bite one. Milk, cheese, rice and the free radish that comes with everything are your friends. Water is not.