Records trace to the Goryeo period (918–1392) though the modern form is associated with 20th-century urban street food culture; Chuncheon is the most celebrated regional variation
Sundae (순대) is Korea's blood sausage: pig's small intestine casing stuffed with a mixture of pork blood, glass noodles (당면), glutinous rice, tofu, green onion, ginger, and sesame, then steamed until the filling sets to a firm, sliceable consistency. Unlike European blood sausages which are smoked or grilled, Korean sundae is always steamed — a softer, more delicate result that reveals the contrast between the silky blood-rice filling and the casing's slight chew. Served sliced with soondae-tteokbokki sauce (spicy) or with raw doenjang and salt dip (traditional), sundae is both a street food icon and a formal pork restaurant banchan.
Dipped in soondae doenjang sauce (raw doenjang + salt + sesame oil) for the traditional pairing, or tteokbokki gochujang sauce for street-food style. Makgeolli is the traditional drink pairing.
{"The casing must be cleaned multiple times with flour, salt, and vinegar rubs to remove odour before stuffing","The filling must not be packed too tight — blood-rice mixture expands during steaming and an overfilled casing will split","Steam over high heat for 25–30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and no pink blood remains","Slice while still warm — chilled sundae becomes dense and the casing toughens on reheating"}
In Chuncheon (춘천), Gangwon province, the famous sundae speciality uses more glutinous rice and less glass noodle for a chewier, richer result. In Seoul pojangmacha (포장마차) culture, sundae is always paired with tteokbokki and eomuk — the three-item combination (순떡) is sold together. Salt and raw doenjang eaten alongside (rather than chilli sauce) is the traditional, pre-commercialisation style.
{"Overfilling the casing — the filling expands and the casing splits open, losing filling into the steaming water","Using cold blood — warm blood (just above body temperature) blends more evenly with the other filling ingredients","Slicing too thin when hot — the filling is too soft directly from the steamer; rest for 5 minutes before slicing"}