Why Rainy Days Make Koreans Crave Makgeolli and Jeon
Creatrip Team
22 days ago
On rainy days many Koreans crave jeon (savory pancakes) and makgeolli (traditional milky rice wine). The pairing traces to Korea’s agrarian past: makgeolli was a common farm drink and food substitute, often homemade (gayangju), and rainy weather kept people home to cook and share food. The sizzling sound of jeon—“jigeul jigeul”—is said to resemble rainfall, reinforcing the association. Today the custom continues: jeon is easy to make using store-bought pancake mix and leftover vegetables, and variations include seafood jeon and kimchi jeon. Social media and search data show mentions of makgeolli rise on rainy days.
