냉면 literally means “cold noodles” in Korean. There are two kinds of 냉면. 물 냉면 is the kind with soup and 비빔 냉면 is without the soup. In the hot summer, 물 냉면 is a popular dish because the soup is served cold with ice. The noodles are very thin and usually the broth tastes tangy and slightly spicy. 비빔 냉면 is very spicy because chili pepper paste is mixed in with the noodles.

잡채 is a noodle dish served without any soup. The noodles are transparent noodles called 당면. The noodles are first boiled until soft and stir fried in seasame oil and soy sauce with thinly sliced carrots, onions, spinach, mushrooms and beef. Sometimes the 잡채 is mixed with some rice. This dish is called 잡채 밥. Many generic Korean restuarants have some form of 잡채 on the menu.

칼국수 literally means “knife noodles”. It’s name come from the fact that the noodles are usually cut rather than spun like most traditional noodles. The best 칼국수 that I’ve tasted are the ones where the noodles are formed at the restaurant by hand. The broth is made of anchovies and shellfish. Zucchini, green onions, and kelp are also added to this broth. 칼국수 is always served warm.

자장면 is a black soybean paste noodle dish. The noodles are thick and made of white wheat flour. Chunks of Potatoes, zucchini, carrots, and meat are mixed into the soybean paste. On top usually some thinly sliced cucumbers are prepared. The paste and the noodles are mixed together and consumed. Sometimes some rice is mixed in with the noodles and paste, in a dish called 자장면 밥.