Enjoy “carp bread”: Yes, It’s A Song About Fish Bread, And It’s Precious
Bumjin’s “carp bread” might not be poised to replicate the success of BIBI’s “Bam Yang Gang” last year (another song about a traditional Korean snack), but it's precious nonetheless. And yes, the song is exactly about the typical fish-shaped pastry (in Korean, 붕어빵, “bungeoppang”) that is one of the most popular street foods in Korea… At least for a little while longer.
The digital single was released on December 24: in just over two minutes, it is the warm and lighthearted tune you’d be humming in winter as you enjoy the delicious treat. If only we could find them in the street food stalls just like in Korea!
As Bumjin (범진) himself stated in the Instagram posts promoting the release of the single, “carp bread” is meant to be “a witty take on the winter snack” that is so dear to any Korean. The song has a very playful rhythm, and the little “oh oh” that Bumjin sings with his velvety-yet-raspy voice in the refrain is the kind of simple combination of notes that get stuck in your head. It feels like the tune to sing mindlessly when you anticipate eating your favorite snack. And what exactly does the song say? If you are curious, just like us, here’s the translation of the lyrics:
“On a cold winter night, the fragrant smell,
Amid the lights of the streets, blooming there,
A small and precious bungeoppang stall,
Comforts my chilly heart.
The sweet scent of custard cream,
The mild fragrance of red bean,
The reason I’ve waited for winter is to melt my cold heart.
Bungeoppang, oh oh,
Blow on it, oh oh,
Take a bite, and happiness fills everyone.
With custard cream or red bean,
Let’s not fight over it—
Enjoying it as we like is the reason we’ve waited for winter.
Bungeoppang, oh oh,
Blow on it, oh oh,
Take a bite, and happiness fills everyone.
Bungeoppang, oh oh,
Taste it, oh oh,
Within the crispy texture, happiness blooms.
It makes everyone happy.”
Bungeoppang snacks are disappearing
“Bungeoppang” literally means “carp/fish-shaped bread”: it’s a pastry made with a puffy dough in a mold that recreates the shape of the crucian carp (in Japan, they’re known as “Taiyaki”). Traditionally filled with red bean paste, they are also sold with alternative fillings such as custard, chocolate, or cream, to name but a few.
In December 2024 the typical winter snack made the headlines since (sigh!) bungeoppang are actually disappearing from the streets: this is not because people like them any less, but because they became very costly to make and sell on the spot. But the demand is still high, so much so that a map of all the existing stalls of Seoul emerged on the local living platform Carrot.
As the Korea Times stated in an article, the decline of the Bungeoppang stalls is “striking, given its immense popularity in the 1990s, when it became a symbolic winter treat, sold cheaply — 10 bungeoppang for 1,000 won ($0.72) back then.” Things are different now, as the price has increased at least tenfold, and the snack “has become so scarce that people often unwittingly pay a premium for it in areas where street vendors still sell it.”
The reason behind the disappearance of the carp bread is “this year's soaring prices of the snack's key ingredients — red beans, flour, and cooking oil. Additionally, the cost of propane gas, which is used to heat the bakers, has risen compared to last year.”
Don’t you think Bumjin released the perfect song to match all the seasonal hype around this delicious snack?
Edited by Rachael Lovette