North Korea Has A Legendary “Mystery Meat” Burger!
Sometimes, a “what kind of meat is this” burger story catches my eye and I have to share. The LA Times ran a story on North Korea’s “Koryo” Burger! I had no idea this was a social media phenomenon – it’s something they serve on their “national” airline – although it barely goes anywhere:
“On Air Koryo, North Korea’s state airline, flight attendants are known to serve one thing, and one thing only: a burger as mysterious as the secretive country itself.
The burger is always served cold, and always on a paper doily. Inside the bun is a piece of unidentified meat, a slice of processed cheese, a dash of shredded cabbage or a lonely lettuce leaf, and a dollop of sweet, brown sauce.”
Hmmm….the state Airline delivers a cold burger that looks as unappetizing as anything I’ve ever seen – so of course I need to eat one!
The story goes on to report:
“The “Koryo Burger” features in countless Instagram feeds and online reviews, not many of them complimentary. It has “gained cult status among passengers,” the British tabloid Daily Mail remarked in 2015. Many wonder: Why a burger, of all things? What’s with the doily? What exactly is that meat?”
Just the use of the world “doily” is classic!
This is such a great article, because it goes from a story about this “mystery” burger to a look at life inside the country….here is more:
“Zhao Bin, 35, a businessman from the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, said that on his first visit to Pyongyang, in 2003, the electricity cut out every night. “The second time I went was almost 12 years later, and I think North Korea has developed a lot, and people’s lives have improved dramatically.”
Pyongyang’s restaurant offerings now include fried chicken, pizza, sushi — and yes, burgers. A burger, he said, costs about $1.50, and a 9-inch pizza costs less than $15. “My impression of having foreign food [at Pyongyang’s restaurants] is that the service is exceptional, and the ingredients are all very fresh — unlike China, where there’s so much low-quality meat and vegetables.”
Interesting that they actually have restaurants that can stay open, considering how little electricity there is in this country…
North Korea is not a place to go if you want to enjoy the finer things in life….they like a military power when in fact they are a small starving nation:
This book tells the story of life inside this repressed country, as told by refugees who managed to escape – see more here:
I love unique cultures, but prefer to enjoy freedom – like when I visited South Korea, a vibrant country where the food is unique but delicious:
I shared this video of some of the terrific street food from Seoul – enjoy!
Here’s more of my culinary adventure:
I love cooking food from around the world, which is why last year, as part of my “52 In 22” cooking challenge, I made these:
Yes, Asian potstickers were fun to make – here is the recipe for two different kinds!
I also love how there are Asian takes on things like burgers and sushi – golden style:
Yes, this is “good luck” food – click on the story to see why!
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Categories: 52 In 22!, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Burgers, Fast Food, Food, Food Pictures, Food Porn, Food Travel, Recipes, Sliders, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
No desire to taste the mystery meat and I really feel for the people of the country
When I see our former President pandering to this Dictator it makes me so mad…people who support it have NO idea what life under a regime like that one – or Russia – would be like…thanks for the comment hope it didn’t offend you
Not at all, I couldn’t agree more