Bonghwa-gun develops signature dishes using local ingredients, launches sales at 4 restaurants

Bonghwa-gun in North Gyeongsang Province has developed signature menu items using locally grown produce in a bid to strengthen the competitiveness of local restaurants.

The county announced Tuesday it had wrapped up its 2026 local restaurant specialty menu development project, which targeted five restaurants and cafes in the area, and that the new dishes had gone on sale.

The project was designed to revitalize an urban regeneration hub facility in Bonghwa-eup. Professional consultants analyzed the cooking environments and characteristics of participating businesses and assessed the feasibility of developing and selling dishes made with local ingredients.

As a result, a samgyetang restaurant developed a dakgangjeong (crispy fried chicken) dish, a pizza and chicken restaurant created jjimdak (braised chicken), a cafe introduced a brownie, and a trout restaurant launched a steamed trout dish.

Last year, the county unveiled three meal-kit products using local agricultural specialties such as shiitake mushrooms and apples. This year, it expanded the project to cover dine-in restaurant menus. The newly developed dishes were also showcased at last month's Bonghwa Pine Mushroom Festival.

"We will monitor sales performance at each business and continue to explore promotional strategies that link the urban regeneration hub facility with the surrounding commercial district," a county official said.