French Pie is a Korean snack, despite the name. Haitai, a Korean confectionery maker, has sold it since 1982: a crisp, layered pastry with a stripe of fruit jam, packed in single wrappers.
If you are searching for French Pie, here is what it is, how it tastes and what to know before you eat one.
What Korean French Pie is
Think of a very thin, very flaky pie in a packet. The pastry is folded into layers, and the box says 64 of them. Jam runs through the middle in a stripe. In the strawberry version, the pack says the strawberries are Korean-grown.
It has lasted. Herald Business reported in 2025 that cumulative sales had passed 400 billion won after 43 years on the shelf. Haitai also releases limited editions, including a December 2025 pack with illustrations that fit together into a map.
How French Pie tastes
It shatters. The first bite breaks into golden crumbs, and the strawberry jam gives it a sweet centre. It is closer to a biscuit than to a bakery pie, so it does not need a plate.
The crumbs go everywhere. Eat it over a napkin.
How to eat it
- With tea or coffee. The pastry is sweet enough that a bitter drink balances it.
- Straight from the wrapper. Each piece comes wrapped alone, so it travels well in a bag.
- Alongside something salty. After a handful of grain or potato snacks, the pie works as dessert.
Before you eat: what is in it
Check the ingredients if you are sharing. The strawberry French Pie contains wheat, milk and soy. Its margarine includes beef fat, so it is not vegetarian. It is made in a facility that also handles egg and peanut.
The same details are on the Korean Snack Box page, where we list every item's ingredients and allergens before you buy.
Where French Pie fits in Korean snacking
Koreans use the word ganshik for any food eaten between meals. French Pie is a textbook case: a small thing you pull out of a bag, share with whoever is nearby and finish in a few bites. Read more about ganshik here.
New to the category? Start with our guide to Korean snacks to try first. If you like the idea of one snack made of many layers, you may also like The Quiet Genius of the Wafer Biscuit, and if you like the sound a pastry makes, there is The Sound of Crunch.
French Pie in the UAE
A French Pie sits in our Korean Snack Box beside Pepero, Kancho Choco, a sweet potato snack and more. The box delivers free across the UAE, and the Ganshik: Korea page shows the full theme.
Questions about French Pie
Is French Pie French? No. It is made in Korea by Haitai.
What flavours does it come in? Strawberry is the one in our box. Haitai makes other fruit versions.
Is it vegetarian? The strawberry one is not. The margarine includes beef fat.
Does it contain nuts? Peanuts are not an ingredient, but the pack says it is made in a facility that handles peanut.
One packet, one cup of tea and a napkin. That is all the method it needs.
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