Husband's gift of oranda and gwajul at Jeju Dongmun Market

A nostalgic old-fashioned snack made even better with a touch of Jeju flavor, made fresh on the spot

On the last day of a Jeju trip I always end up stopping by Dongmun Market to pick up snacks or gifts to take home. This time, instead of the usual omegi tteok (rice cake) or chocolate, I was looking around for something a little more special for a Jeju Dongmun Market gift, and I tried a big chunk of an old-fashioned snack cut up at a sample table — and decided on the spot. That's oranda and gwajul, classic old-school treats.

Honestly, even when I want to eat these nostalgic old snacks, I usually hesitate — worried they might have been sitting out too long, or that the oil used might not be great — so I don't often buy them. But I liked that at Cheongchuni Oranda you can actually watch the oranda being made right there in the shop. Seeing it made fresh in front of me felt a lot more reassuring than picking something off a shelf that's been sitting out.

So, shall we take a look around the shop while picking out a Jeju Dongmun Market gift?

Cheongchuni Oranda Dongmun Market Tapdong: location and hours

• Address: 6-8 Dongmun-ro, 1st floor, Jeju-si, Jeju
• Hours: Daily 9:00 - 20:00
• Parking: Dongmun Market public parking lot

A look around the Cheongchuni Oranda shop at Dongmun Market

Walking into Dongmun Market, there were little shops and souvenir stores everywhere worth browsing. I wandered along wondering if there was anything special to buy.

People were lining up to try the free samples, so I got in line too. At the sample table were big chunks of the snacks cut up for tasting, and I tried them one by one. Honestly, when I think of oranda, I picture a hard, sticky old-fashioned snack, so I never used to seek it out. But once I actually tasted it, it was a bit different from what I expected.

Tasting it at the sample table, the snacks were soft, moist, and chewy. Wait, can it really be this good?? An old-fashioned snack???

This is what really delicious oranda tastes like.

4 oranda flavors and prices

Oranda comes in four flavors: gamtae (seaweed), manong (garlic), yuzu, and nuts. Maybe because it's made carefully by a young man from Jeju, it felt like this familiar old snack had been given a special Jeju twist. Each piece comes individually wrapped in a good snack-size portion, so it's easy to grab as a snack or prepare as a Jeju Dongmun Market gift. It's ₩10,000 for 3 pieces. With four flavors to choose from, if you can't decide, it's a good idea to mix and match a variety.

A bulk bag is ₩10,000.

What is gwajul?

A snack that looked like puffed rice crackers caught my eye, so I tried that too. It was soft yet crunchy, not too sweet, and nutty — right up my alley. This snack is called gwajul. It comes in square and round shapes, made by coating grain syrup with yuzu flavor and then covering the surface with puffed rice, buckwheat, brown rice, or barley — four types in all.

Tasting them one by one, they were tastier than expected, and I kept reaching for more — I actually got full just from sampling. Lately I've been snacking on gangnyeongi (puffed corn) quite often, and while that's tasty too, I thought, there's a snack even better than gangnyeongi! Best of all, it wasn't too sweet, just nutty, so it was easy to eat without feeling guilty. Since it's made with Korean rice and grain syrup, I thought it would also make a good Jeju Dongmun Market gift for parents or older relatives.

Gift set packaging and my husband's reaction

Cheongchuni Oranda at Dongmun Market also has gift sets packaged in boxes. They're individually wrapped, so they're great for sharing one at a time with coworkers or friends. On this Jeju trip, I picked out oranda and gwajul as a gift for my husband, who's been working hard back home.

When I told him it was a snack I brought from Jeju, my husband got curious and tried it right away, then said, "This is the best oranda I've ever had." I guess the not-too-sweet, soft, moist texture really suited his taste. He liked the oranda more, while I liked the gwajul more — it's crunchy and nutty, and I kept reaching for it.

Both the oranda and gwajul are delicious, so if you visit Jeju Dongmun Market, try mixing and matching a variety of flavors. I'd recommend it as a Jeju Dongmun Market gift.

You can also order Cheongchuni Oranda online through Naver. Once we finish everything, I think I'll place an online order when I start craving it again.