Korea has four seasons, and summer is not an easy one to deal with. It is hot, humid and sticky, so many Koreans escape to beaches, mountain streams and water parks to cool off. But even if you want to stay home, there is a good solution: Try Korean summer foods!

Some are icy and sweet, and others are cold and tangy. One of the most traditional summer dishes is served boiling hot. If this is your first summer in Korea, trying these foods is one way to get through the hottest days of the year.

Bingsu is a Korean shaved ice dessert and summer is when it takes over café menus. It starts with finely shaved ice, then a combination of toppings like fruit, ice cream, rice cakes, cereal, chocolate syrup or condensed milk.

The traditional version of bingsu usually comes with sweet red beans, rice cakes and condensed milk. Newer versions skip the red beans and pile on fruit, ice cream, cereal, marshmallow, cookies, cheesecake or tiramisu, whatever the seasonal trend demands. Stacked with layers of toppings like a dessert tower, bingsu today is not only about how it tastes, but also how it looks.

It is usually served in a large bowl enough for two or three people to share although some cafés offer single servings. After a long walk under the sun, sitting inside a cool café with a bowl of bingsu is one of the greatest ways to chase off the heat.

• Where to try: Most cafés in summer or Sulbing, a bingsu chain café

• Prices: About 7,000 to 20,000 won for a bowl, usually big enough for two people

While bingsu is the summer dessert you buy at a café, hwachae is the one many people make at home. Hwachae is a Korean punch made with fruit and a cold drink, the most common version being subak hwachae made with watermelon.

Every family has its own way of making it. In my family, we usually bought a large watermelon, ate half of it and used the other half for hwachae. We scooped out the inside, filled the watermelon shell with cut watermelon, ice, jelly and ice cream, then poured in soda like Sprite or Milkis. The watermelon itself became the bowl.

These days, many people make hwachae in glass bowls or add strawberry milk and colorful toppings. But the basic idea is the same: cold fruit, a sweet drink and whatever makes it more fun.

• Ingredients: Watermelon, ice, Sprite or Milkis, strawberry milk, fruit cocktail (or jelly) and vanilla ice cream

Naengmyeon is one of the most common summer foods Koreans order at restaurants. It is a cold noodle dish with two different versions. Mul-naengmyeon is served in a cold, tangy broth. Bibim-naengmyeon is mixed with a spicy gochujang (red pepper paste) based sauce. Both come with cucumber, boiled egg and sometimes sliced beef or pear.

Many Koreans order naengmyeon at Korean BBQ restaurants because the cold, tangy noodles go well with hot grilled pork or beef. It may not be for everyone, especially if you are not used to cold noodles or sour broth. If it is your first time, taste it before adding more vinegar or mustard. Start with mul-naengmyeon if you want something cold and refreshing, and choose bibim-naengmyeon if you like spicy food.

• Where to try: Korean BBQ restaurants, many other Korean restaurants or naengmyeon-specialized restaurants. Although many restaurants serve this dish year-round, some offer it only during summer.

• Prices: About 7,000 to 12,000 won

Kongguksu is another cold noodle dish made with cold soybean broth. The soybeans are soaked and ground into a thick, creamy soup, then served cold with noodles. It is usually topped with cucumber and boiled egg. The dish is served with salt on the side, so you can season it to your own taste.

The flavor is mild, a bit nutty and deep. While many Koreans enjoy this dish, it is not beloved by everyone. I did not like kongguksu when I was young because it tasted too plain. But as an adult, I started craving it every summer. It tastes clean, creamy and filling without feeling heavy. Kongguksu is also one of the meat-free Korean summer noodle options. If you do not want egg, you can ask for it to be left off.

• Where to try: Korean restaurants and noodle shops. Unlike naengmyeon, kongguksu is usually a seasonal dish, so you can usually try it only during the summer.

• Prices: About 7,000 to 12,000 won

In Korea, Boknal refers to the three traditional hottest days of summer: Chobok, Jungbok and Malbok. These days usually fall between mid-July and mid-August. Around this season, many Koreans eat samgyetang, a hot chicken soup made with a whole young chicken stuffed with ingredients like glutinous rice, garlic, jujube and ginseng. Salt, pepper and kimchi are served on the side.

Before air conditioning became part of daily life, summer heat could drain people’s strength. Samgyetang became one of the foods traditionally believed to help restore energy during the hottest time of the year.

For many Koreans, serving samgyetang is also a way to care for loved ones. Around Boknal, it is common to see families take elderly parents out for samgyetang or prepare it for someone who has been working hard in the heat. In my family, my mother usually makes sure my father eats samgyetang on Chobok because she wants him to stay strong and healthy during the summer. This tradition may be less about medical science but more about expressing care through food. If you would like to try samgyetang, bring someone you want to keep healthy during the hottest days of summer.

• Where to try: Samgyetang restaurants or Korean soup restaurants. Many people eat it around Boknal, but most samgyetang restaurants serve it year-round.

• Prices: About 10,000 to 20,000 won

Korean

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