Jeon (food) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Jeon
Dongtae-jeon (pan-fried pollock) and donggeurang-ttaeng (pan-fried meatballs)
Alternative names	jeonya, jeonyu, jeonyueo, jeonyuhwa
Type	Fritter
Course	appetizer, banchan (side dish), anju
Place of origin	Korea
Main ingredients	fish, meat, poultry, seafood, vegetable, flour, egg

Korean name
Hangul	전
Hanja	煎
Revised Romanization	jeon
McCune–Reischauer	chŏn
IPA	[tɕʌn]

Jeon (Korean: 전, 煎) is a tasty fritter from Korean cuisine. To make jeon, people take ingredients like fish, meat, or vegetables. They season them, coat them in wheat flour and egg wash, and then pan-fry them in oil.

Jeon can be a starter (appetizer), a side dish called banchan, or a snack to enjoy with drinks, known as anju. Some jeons are even sweet desserts, like hwajeon, which means "flower jeon."

What is Jeon?
- Other Names for Jeon
Different Kinds of Jeon
Images for kids
See also

What is Jeon?

Jeon is a special type of Korean pancake. It's often smaller and uses fewer ingredients compared to another Korean dish called buchimgae. While jeon can be seen as a kind of buchimgae, they are usually thought of as different dishes.

Other Names for Jeon

In old Korean royal court cuisine, jeon was sometimes called jeonya (저냐). You might also hear it called jeonyueo (전유어) or jeonyuhwa (전유화).

For special ceremonies like jesa (ancestral rites), a type of jeon called gannap (간납) is made. These are usually made from beef liver, a part of a cow's stomach called omasum, or fish.

Different Kinds of Jeon

Most jeons are made in a similar way: they are seasoned, coated with flour and egg, and then pan-fried until golden. There are many delicious varieties!

Meat Jeon

Yukjeon (육전) is a general name for jeon made with meat. In the past, royal families often ate jeon made purely from red meat and poultry. Regular people usually added vegetables to their meat jeon.

Donggeurang-ttaeng (동그랑땡) are small, round patties. They are made from beef, pork, or fish mixed with crumbled tofu, chopped scallions, and other vegetables. In royal court cuisine, they were called don-jeonya, meaning "coin jeonya."
Meat jun is a popular Korean dish, especially in Hawaii.

Seafood Jeon

Saengseon-jeon (생선전) means "fish jeon." People usually prefer to use white fish for this type. Haemul-jeon (해물전) is a broader term that includes jeon made from fish, shellfish, shrimps, and even octopuses.

Daeha-jeon (대하전) is made from large, fleshy prawns.
Guljeon (굴전) is made with delicious oysters.
Saeu-jeon (새우전) uses peeled shrimp.
Daegu-jeon (대구전) is made from codfish.

Vegetable and Mushroom Jeon

Chaeso-jeon (채소전) is the general name for jeon made from different kinds of vegetables.

Gamja-jeon (감자전) is made from shredded potato. Sometimes it's made from grated and squeezed potato mixed with potato starch and other vegetables.
Pajeon (파전) is a popular jeon made with scallions. A famous type is Dongnae-pajeon, which often uses whole scallions. If seafood is added, it's called haemul-pajeon (seafood pajeon).
Dubu-jeon (두부전) is made from sliced tofu.
Gaji-jeon (가지전) uses thinly sliced eggplant.
Gochu-jeon (고추전) is made from green chili peppers that have had their seeds removed. They are often filled with ground meat and crumbled tofu.
Hobak-jeon (호박전) is made from thinly sliced Korean zucchini.
Pyogo-jeon (표고전) uses shiitake mushrooms, often with ground beef.
Buchu-jeon (부추전) is made with garlic chives.

Flower Jeon

Hwajeon (화전) means "flower jeon." These are special jeons made with edible flowers. Hwajeon are usually sweet and often include honey. Sometimes, jeon made from jujube fruit is also called hwajeon.

Gukhwa-jeon (국화전) is made with chrysanthemum flowers.
Jindallae-hwajeon (진달래화전) uses rhododendron flowers. This jeon is especially popular during a spring festival called Samjinnal.