Around 70 percent to 80 percent of poultry distributed across the country came from Daegu at the time. Historical records show that the southern city already had a major poultry market in the Gyeongsang Province region as early as 1903.ĭaegu grew to become a southeastern logistics hub with large flatlands in the early 20th century, which made it suitable for housing the country's largest poultry farms in the 1960s. Interestingly, the term is from an old local dialect that literally means chicken,' Hwang said during a recent phone interview with The Korea Times.įood columnist Hwang Young-cheol / Courtesy of Hwang Young-cheol 'Daegu's old name is Dalgubeol and the old generation used to call it, 'Dalgu,' for short. Even the origin of the region's name is possibly related to chicken, he said, explaining the city has a long and special relationship with poultry. Korea Times photo by Ryu Su-hyunĭaegu is 'a mecca for Korean-style fried chicken,' according to food columnist Hwang Young-cheol.

Visitors enjoy fried chicken and beer at Duryu Park during the 11th edition of the Daegu Chimac Festival in Daegu, Sept. The figure is the highest since records began being kept in 2012 and the second-highest after Korean cuisine categories.Īt the heart of the country's ongoing chicken craze is the southern city of Daegu, home to dozens of franchises and the host city of the annual Daegu Chimac Festival. Nearly 30,000 fried chicken restaurants affiliated with over 700 franchise brands are in business nationwide as of 2021, according to the Fair Trade Commission. Koreans consume a yearly average of 14 kilograms of poultry, equivalent to around 20 chickens, according to the Korean Broiler Council. 'Chimaek,' a portmanteau of chicken and 'maekju,' the Korean word for beer, is among Korean people's favorite foods.

Korea's poultry industry hub became birthplace of fried chicken Fried chicken and beer served at this year's Daegu Chimac Festival / Courtesy of Daegu Chimac Festival Organizing Committee

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