In a recent vlog, TOMORROW X TOGETHER talked about their favorite foods. Before they debuted, they spent a lot of time at Burger King and KFC. They also loved bread from Paris Baguette—a popular bakery chain based in South Korea—and “jellyade,” a type of Korean street food.
They also ate many sandwiches, such as the Inkigayo sandwich, which Soobin said was really popular at the time. It’s a three-layered sandwich that consists of cabbage slaw, potato salad, and strawberry jam. It was invented by the SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) canteen owner, where only authorized people can eat. The sandwich got its name because it was a favorite of the artists who would appear on the network’s weekly music show.
Some believe BLACKPINK’s Jennie and EXO’s Kai became a couple thanks to this sandwich. In a previous interview, BIGBANG’s Seungri seemed to back up that theory when he revealed that idols had used this sandwich to exchange phone numbers backstage at SBS Inkigayo.
According to the disgraced YG Entertainment idol, “No one’s allowed to eat in the waiting rooms, so all of the artists always wind up eating in the canteen on the fourth floor. A lot of things happen there. You know how those sandwiches are always wrapped in plastic? Sometimes people write their phone number on a piece of paper, unwrap one side of the sandwich, slip the paper inside, then send the sandwich to someone.”
That aside, many idols swear the Inkigayo sandwich is actually delicious. Woozi of SEVENTEEN is one of them.
“The canteen’s owner probably has a secret recipe or something,” he said on the radio show Choi Hwa-jung’s Powertime. “It tastes amazing. All the singers who’ve been on Inkigayo have probably eaten it. The strawberry jam gives it a real kick.”
Aside from TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Woozi, the K-Pop idols who love this sandwich include BTS, Chungha, Jeong Sewoon, MONSTA X and their erstwhile member Wonho, TWICE, and many more. Idols aren’t the only ones who have fallen under the Inkigayo sandwich’s spell. Even their staff members are known to eat it from time to time.
“I eat it every week when we go to Inkigayo. Usually, all the guests name the agency they work for and the artists they’re assigned to, then their agency pays for it at once later. So I didn’t know its exact price at first, but eventually, I found out it costs 3,500 KRW,” shared an entertainment agency affiliate who requested anonymity.
One girl group manager who also wanted to remain anonymous said, “It’s good, so our singers and their staff members often eat it. It was famous before, but it’s even more popular these days. It’s a must-try item when you go to the SBS canteen.”
Because the sandwich is only available there, the average K-Pop fan can’t try it for themselves, making them more curious about the sandwich. Some fans have started joking about it on various social media platforms. One tweet that was shared thousands of times said, “Is there anyone who can go to the cafeteria and get me the sandwich? I’m craving for it so much.”
Another Twitter user said they wanted to debut in a K-Pop group, not for fame or fortune, but to try the Inkigayo sandwich. In an attempt to cash in on the sandwich’s popularity, convenience stores like 7-Eleven and the restaurant chain Ashley added a version of it to their menu.
Meanwhile, other fans, like YouTube content creator HuiJyak, did the same at home by coming up with their own recipes.
If you want to try making it yourself, here’s a recipe you can follow.
INKIGAYO SANDWICH
Ingredients
For the cabbage mix:
6 cabbage leaves, diced into half-inch pieces
2 tsp ketchup
4 tsp mayonnaise
¼ cup imitation crab sticks, shredded
¼ cup cucumber, thinly sliced
Sugar
For the potato mix:
3 baseball-sized potatoes, peeled
2 eggs
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
Sugar
4 slices white bread
Strawberry jam
Directions
- Peel three baseball-sized potatoes. Put them in a pot with two eggs, fill it with water, and let it boil rapidly for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, wash and dry some cabbage leaves, dice them into half-inch pieces, and put them in a bowl. Add two teaspoons of ketchup, four teaspoons of mayonnaise, and a pinch of sugar. Mix well, then refrigerate.
(Note: Some choose to add cucumber and shredded imitation crab sticks instead of ketchup and sugar. We suggest you try both and see which one you prefer.)
- Check the potatoes by stabbing them with a fork. If you encounter little to no resistance, that means they’re good to go.
- Put your potatoes in another mixing bowl and set them aside to cool as you peel the boiled eggs. Once the eggs are peeled, add them to the potatoes.
- After that, add two tablespoons of mayonnaise and a pinch of sugar to the bowl of eggs and potatoes. Mash it all with a fork or potato masher until fully combined.
(Note: Some choose to add salt and pepper instead of sugar. Again, we suggest you try both and see which one you prefer.)
- Now it’s time to put the sandwich together, layer by layer. For this step, you’ll need four pieces of white bread, the cabbage mix, the potato mix, and strawberry jam. Gather everything you need first.
- Cut the crusts off the four slices of white bread for the authentic Inkigayo Most of the photos we’ve seen of this famous snack show that it has no crust.
- Lay out three slices of bread on a flat surface. Spread the cabbage mix on one of the slices. Spread the potato salad on the second and the strawberry jam on the third. Put the slice with strawberry jam on top of the slice with the cabbage mix, and put the slice with the potato mix on top of that. Close the sandwich with the fourth slice of bread.
- Wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap. Press down on it with your palm or a heavy plate to incorporate all the fillings together, making the sandwich as flavorful as possible. Let it rest in the refrigerator as it’s best served cold. Do this for approximately 10 minutes before serving.
There you have it. If you do decide to try this sandwich for yourself, let us know how it goes!
