This article is a little delayed because there were other priority things to share earlier this week. But it is still lunar new year for the Chinese as this lasts 15 days, so here goes…
The lunar new year, Seollal or 설날 in Korean an important time for celebration among the Korean community. It lasts three days – the eve, the actual day and the day after new year day. This year’s holiday may be over, but, that sweet lingering taste of celebration still continues! 🙂
What is celebration without feasting? Over the centuries, with emphasis on auspicious significance and traditions, feasting must also include sweet indulgence for a sweet ending!
Seollal offers an abundance of sweets to indulge those with a sweet tooth! And our Park Sihoo-ssi is a man known for his sweet tooth. He loves his sweet indulgence as his long time fans will know! 😉 So what sweets could he have indulged during Seollal? Here’s a selection which I personally fancy, though sweet is not my thing!
Sujeonggwa 수정과 or Korean cinnamon punch is a traditional beverage made from dried persimmons, cinnamon, ginger and garnished with pine nuts. Known to aid digestion, it is usually served either hot or cold after a heavy meal. Just appropriate after a smorgasbord of delicious feast during the Seollal celebration. The tea-like beverage is made by simmering cinnamon and ginger, and when almost done, adding small bits of dried persimmons with a dash of honey or brown sugar, to give it a most delectable aromatic taste!
Another beverage, though more like a sweet dessert is Sikhye 식혜. It is made with malt barley, malt powder, flour, sugar and rice. It feeds your senses with the wonderful sweet taste and smell of malt barley and you see grains of cooked white rice, topped with pine nuts when served.
Yaksik 약식 is a nutritious sweet rice bar generously filled with dried fruit such as jujubes, raisins, cranberries and nuts such as chestnuts, walnuts, pecan, sunflower and pine nuts. Reminds me of a canola health bar but with a softer and stickier texture and taste sweet and slightly salty. Some like the Yaksik with a sauce made up of honey or dark brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and cinnamon powder.
I have always admired the culinary artistry of the Koreans. Not only do they serve up a gastronomical feast, even the presentation of their dishes are delightful sights! The Hwagwaja 화과자 or flower cakes are testimony of this artistry. Usually presented as a set, the cakes are about the size of a mochi, each beautifully handmade and different in design, color, flavours and fillings. It was once the enjoyment of the royal family but is now commonly available particularly for special occasions such as Seollal. A variety of ingredients and fillings are used to make these delightful cakes – sweet rice flour powder, red bean, black sesame, sweet potato, chestnuts etc. Creativity is the domain of the artisan who crafts the Hwagwaja into anything he or she fancies – a flower, fruit, leaf, animal…yums! Feast for the eyes and the stomach! Sweet!
These are some of the more traditional sweet indulgence for the Korean Seollal. I wonder which is Park Sihoo-ssi’s favourite? Did he partake any this year? Or is he conscious of his diet as he would be working on his new drama soon and need to keep a svelte figure? Kekeke!
舌尖上的甜食
这篇文章延迟了点,因为这周有其他优先信息要分享。 但现在仍然是华人农历新年,因为新年是持续15天,所以还是分享啦…
韩国的农历新年Seollal설날是韩国重要的节日。它的庆祝持续三天 – 前夕,新年当天和新年后的一天。今年的假期已经结束了,但庆祝的甜蜜味道还在继续! 🙂
庆祝肯定的要有盛宴,不然不算是庆祝啦!一直以来重视着吉祥的意义和传统,盛宴也一定要有完美甜蜜的结局!
庆祝Seollal就得有丰富的甜点给大家带来甜蜜的口福!施厚君的厚粉们都知道他是名副其传的吃货,甜点是他的最爱! ;)那么在Seollal期间,他可否享受了韩国佳节的甜点呢?这里介绍一些我喜欢的韩点,虽然我对甜点不怎么喜欢!
Sujeonggwa수정과或韩国肉桂茶是一种传统的饮料,用干柿子,肉桂,姜和松子仁制成。茶可以帮助消化,所以在重餐以后都会提供热或冷的肉桂茶,正适合在Seollal庆祝时,享受大量的美味节日的盛宴后品尝。肉桂茶是用水,肉桂和姜,加上一些蜂蜜或红糖制作,慢炖的过程带出这茶美味的芳香!
另一种饮料,但更像甜点的是Sikhye식혜,是由麦芽大麦,麦芽粉,面粉,糖和米制成的。这甜点甜美的滋味,麦芽的味道,可看到的煮熟白饭粒和配上松子粒给人非常清甜的感觉。
Yaksik약식 是营养丰富的甜米酒条,含有丰满的干果,如枣,葡萄干,蔓越莓和坚果如栗子,核桃,山核桃,向日葵和松子。Yasik就像卡诺拉健康条,但有着更柔软,更粘的质地,味道甜和稍微咸。吃Yaksik时,有些人喜欢加上蜂蜜或黄糖,酱油,芝麻油和肉桂粉调过的酱。
我一直钦佩韩国人的烹饪艺术。他们不仅可以制成美食盛宴,对菜肴的摆置也特别研究! Hwagwaja화과자或花式蛋糕就是这种艺术的证明。这类蛋糕送礼或吃时,通常都会是一集合的排放。Hwagwaja通常是糯米糍的大小,每个都手工制作的得特别美丽,个有不同的设计,颜色,口味和馅料。以前是皇家的独享,但现普遍的看到,特别是在特殊的佳节如Seollal。花式蛋糕是用各种各样的材料和馅料制成的,如甜米粉,红豆,黑芝麻,红薯,栗子等。创造Hwagwaja的工匠会用他的想象力来创造精美别致的花式蛋糕, 有花,水果,叶,动物等的创意… 好吃!是眼睛和肠胃的享受!美妙极了!
The beautiful artistry of Hwagwaja. Photo by designblogaboutkorea.wordpress.com这些是韩国较传统的甜点。不知道施厚君最喜欢的是什么?他今年也享受了这些丰富精美的甜点吗?还是因为他将开始他新电视剧的拍摄,需要保持壮美的身材而较注意他的饮食呢? 哈哈哈!
Photo Credits – Many thanks! Park Sihoo Weibo, imbc.co.kr, Scent the Movie, Beyond Kimchee, All about Korean culture, Kimchimari, Design blog about Korea, BNT International, Weibo
8 Comments
The greed, delicious share! Although the sweet, rich nutrition. Food, eye rims, very important! Eyes, taste buds are satisfied, is perfect! Han Dian, because Shi Houjun, happy to share! Sweet, sweet meaning. Chowhound world, all in all, eat to say! The new year, the ceremony with small details, the sweet side, is to give yourself an opportunity to usher in a new beginning, or solemnly, formal and a break from the past! Meticulous care of daily ingredients, carefully taste, will flow out of the pure love and fun experience of life itself!
Oh dear, all the sweets you describe I feel like they are my cup of tea, I really want to sink my teeth into all of them hahahaha. Thanks for such narrative interesting article. My take is Sihoossi would have only tasted enough of the goodies to the extent that they don’t affect his trim figure for his new drama. Knowing how discipline and stringent he is he would hold back the indulgence. 🙂
“People ‘s love of sweets and guilty feelings about overindulgence are universal.”[Will Cotton] On special occasions, like Seollal in Korea, having so many attractive sweets in front of you,as Nance tries to seduce us, of course we’ll be overindulgent by eating them. I’m really tempted by all of them and I’d like to taste at least one of them. As for PSH, I think, just on such festivities , he will be indulgent with those tasteful sweets.Because if not then , when then? As someone said :”Too much of a good thing can be wonderful”, in other words :”Too much of so good sweets can be wonderful.” And we must be totally understanding of this sweet indulgence , even for PSH, although , as Chai Hua mentiones, too much sweet indulgence could “affect his trim figure , for his new drama. Let’s be sweet indulgent at least on Seollal or on otherwondeful moments in life. Anyway, thanks Nance for exhibiting so many Korean tasteful sweets, I’ve never heard of and I realize once again that Korean cuisine is famous.
Haha! Don’t know why the stickers came in the reverse order! Any it simply means Happy New Year equivalent in Korean, followed by come on, followed by let’s eat—- everyone!
Very impressed with your stickers efforts Dorothy! You could even greet Korean Happy New Year! I bet you in the foodie land by now day 6 of Chinese New Year would have eaten heaps of goodies too.
Some of these I have tasted Nance Phua, or at least one of them, on Chuseok day during my holidays! Sikhye was a treat together with songpyeon. It really tasted good! At the counter of National Folk Museum of Korea I had bought hot Plum tea which very much looked like the cinnamon tea, but I had no cinnamon in it. The taste was deliciously sweet! 🙂 So was the taste of the homemade Muffin I bought. Twice as big as the ordinary muffins here at home. The filling had some nuts in it as well. After finishing the tea and the muffin I had a full belly back then. :p Anyway, I can imagine PSH could not resist all these kinds of sweets on a festive day. His figure? Well, one day of sweets doesn’t do that much of harm and our man is a dedicated exerciser! 😀
Very good Wilma, that you had tasted some of these goodies. I too thought PSH would eat some during happy Seollal festive days but wouldn’t over indulge :), we all know that feeling of satisfaction of eating symbolic food of festive seasons. Moreover the availability of these special food, if he didn’t eat, it means he might have to wait yet another year.