PATBINGSU
Patbingsu is one of Korea’s most popular summer desserts or snacks. It resembles a massive snow mountain in a bowl, with colourful fruits, sweet red beans and rice cake pieces, and sweet, creamy condensed milk on top. Make this if you’re tired of the heat in the summer. You’ll feel more energized, and your body temperature will drop. Toppings for your patbingsu include fruit, jelly, rice cake pieces, roasted grain powder, ice cream, and sweetened condensed milk.
TTEOK
Food reveals a great deal about a culture’s past and values. Tteok, Korean rice cake, is a popular dessert, seasonal delicacy, and meal for many Koreans. Various types of tteok are served for numerous occasions, such as national holidays, weddings, ancestral ceremonies, etc.
Tteok, like Kimchi and pasta, comes in a wide variety and can be classified based on the ingredients or method of preparation. Even though tteok is commonly translated as rice cake, the main ingredient used to make tteok is not limited to rice. Most grains can be used to make it, but glutinous and non-glutinous rice is the most common. Other ingredients can be added to enhance the flavour depending on the occasion. Tteok can be broadly classified into four types based on how it is prepared:
HANGWA
Hangwa refers to various delicate confections commonly served during Korean ancestral rites or traditional holidays—the treats have a complicated history, but many are hoping for a revival.
Hangwa describes any delicate confection made by kneading a grain or grain flour with a sweetener (honey, rice syrup, sugar, or some combination). They’re steamed or fried, then often coated in an assortment of dried fruit, seeds, and nuts. They are not always easy to find as delicious as they are.
MAKGEOLLI
Makgeolli is known as a traditional Korean rice wine that has been produced for generations by Koreans. Rice is fermented to create a lovely creamy drink with a hint of sweetness, tang, and zing that goes perfectly with any Korean dish.
GAYANGJU
Koreans have a long tradition of making rice wine at home, resulting in recipes that vary by region and family. On the other hand, traditional Korean drinks can now find in department stores, supermarkets, and shops specializing in traditional liquors.
SOJU
Soju is one of the most popular liquors in Korea and is a clear, low-alcohol distilled spirit. If you haven’t heard of it, you’re missing out because it’s the best-selling liquor in the world.
Traditional soju is made from a rice and grain blend. Because rice was in short supply from the 1960s to the 1990s, sojus were made with other starches such as sweet potatoes and wheat. Even though the ban is no longer in effect, many soju producers look for starches other than rice.
