[1] The boiled or steamed snack food is served in paper cups with toothpick skewers.

[2][3] Its aroma has been described as "nutty, shrimp-like, and a bit like canned corn" and the canned-type smells very much "like tire rubber", while the texture is firm and chewy.

This soup is flavoured with soy sauce, chili, garlic, green onions and red pepper powder.

[3][4] Although sericulture in Korea dates back 4,000 years, consumption of silkworm pupae (a byproduct of this industry) is relatively recent.

Widespread consumption began after the Korean War, when the government heavily promoted the silk industry.