Winter is here, and it is time to warm ourselves up with hot drinks. Koreans often drink cha (tea, in English) to relax their bodies during the tough, cold season of winter. Koreans have enjoyed a variety of traditional Korean teas for a long time. Pairing traditional Korean snacks with tea is the best way to savor the entire flavor range that both offer. Hangwa (traditional Korean sweets and cookies, in English) and tteok (rice cakes, in English) are the best traditional Korean snacks that go well with traditional Korean teas. In this article, The UOS Times introduces and reviews several kinds of traditional Korean teas and snacks, namely hangwa and tteok.

About Traditional Korean Tea

Ever since it was first cultivated in India thousands of years ago, tea has been consumed by people worldwide. According to historical records, tea was first introduced to Korea no later than in the early 7th century. The tea-drinking culture became popular in 828 when Daeryeom brought tea seeds from the Tang Dynasty of China and planted them in Jirisan Mountain. During the Unified Silla period, some monks and Hwarangdo* drank tea. During the Goryeo period, tea became very popular among the royal family and the nobilities, and in temples. The scholars of Joseon enjoyed drinking tea, being surrounded by nature, composing poems, and building friendships. The common people at the time usually drank tea for medical reasons. As the Japanese colonial era passed, coffee shops specializing in tea called Dabang gained popularity. Nowadays, tea can be found both in traditional tea houses as well as in coffee shops.
*Hwarangdo was a training organization established by young people in the Silla Dynasty period.

The word tea, in the narrow sense, refers to a drink made by infusing the leaves of a tea tree. However, in Korea, favorite beverages made from grains, leaves of various plants, fruits, flowers, roots, barks, and medicinal herbs are also called tea. In East Asian culture, there is a ritual that people follow while drinking tea. In Korea, it is called Darye. It means etiquette toward tea. This etiquette is essential while drinking tea at a tearoom, serving tea to guests, or hosting ceremonies where tea is served. A set of tea utensils, water, and tea leaves must be prepared, along with optional refreshments.

About Hangwa and Tteok

Hangwa refers to traditional Korean sweets. The usual ingredients of hangwa are grain powder or fruit, and they are sweetened with honey, syrup, and/or sugar. Hangwa can be divided into yugwa, yumilgwa, gangjeong, dasik, and jeonggwa in terms of ingredients and recipes. Yumilgwa is made by sautéing wheat flour kneaded with honey or sesame oil and soaking it in honey. Gangjeong is cooked by kneading glutinous rice flour with alcohol, cutting it into various shapes, frying it in oil, and then coating it with honey or nuts. Dasik is made by powdering grains and kneading them with honey or grain syrup and putting them on a plate so that letters and geometric and/or flower patterns can be drawn on them. Jeonggwa is a sweet made of raw fruits, roots, or berries of plants that are boiled down with honey. Yugwa will be explained in detail in the review below.

Yumilgwa, which is made from glutinous rice flour, was popular during the Goryeo Dynasty period. In 1157, King Uijong brought yumilgwa from a temple. During the Joseon Dynasty period, kings enjoyed various kinds of hangwa. They had five meals a day, and in one meal, they ate six kinds of hangwa. In the Joseon Dynasty period, it became common to eat yumilgwa, dasik, and gangjeong not only at the royal court, but also at the nobles’ houses. At banquets, a large quantity of hangwa was stacked high on the tables.

Tteok is made by steaming or boiling grain flour. The origin of tteok is unknown, but it is presumed that it emerged along with the inception of primitive farming. Bronze or earthen tteok cookers have been found at historical sites. From its founding period, the Goryeo Dynasty achieved an increase in grain production by focusing on the policy of encouraging farming, which resulted in tteok gaining popularity. During the Joseon Dynasty period, tteok recipes were diversified. The method of cooking and processing most of the tteok that Koreans currently eat was established under the Joseon Dynasty. Nowadays, Koreans buy and enjoy tteok at rice cake shops across the country.

Review

Reporters from The UOS Times reviewed five interesting tea-snack combos. The UOS Times hopes their reviews inspire the readers to keep these delicious tea and snack options in mind and hopefully have a chance to try them.

Yugwa and Yuja-cha 

Yugwa (deep-fried sweet rice cake, in English) is a kind of hangwa. It is made out of alcohol and glutinous rice flour. The mix is first steamed and formed in a shape and then sautéed in oil. It is then coated with grain syrup or honey, and finally with rice flour. Unlike rice cakes, which are heavy in calories, yugwa is good for a light snack.
Yuja-cha (citron tea, in English) is made in two steps. First, the separated peel and the insides of yuja (citron, in English) are pickled in sugar. Next, the insides are boiled in water, and thinly sliced peels are added in the water.

Taste and Texture 
Yugwa has a sweet taste because it is smeared with honey or grain syrup. The outer part is hard because of the hardened honey and rice flour. However, the insides are very soft and weak, like cotton candy. Yuja-cha tastes both sweet and sour, which makes it one of the most popular traditional Korean teas. If you try the tea, you can enjoy chewing the sliced peels inside the tea!
Efficacy of Yuja-cha 
Yuja-cha is effective in healing arthritis and neuralgia and is known to relieve poisoning and digestion. Koreans drink it when they have a cold or when the weather is cold.

Gyeongdan and Omija-cha 

Gyeongdan (sweet rice balls, in English) is a rice cake made by kneading glutinous rice flour in boiling water, shaping them into small round balls, boiling them in hot water, and dipping them in various materials. Although gyeongdan is not as popular these days as other rice cakes, people often made it in ancient times, especially on special occasions. On a baby’s first birthday, gyeongdan was made using red bean paste because the red color was believed to drive evil spirits away.

Omija-cha is made from the fruit of omija (fruit of schisandra, in English). It has a beautiful red color. The name omija means that it has five flavors: sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness, and pungency. However, the flavor of omija-cha sold today is dominated by sweetness and sourness. This is probably because sweetness and sourness are the most appealing tastes to consumers.

Taste and Texture 
As gyeongdan is a rice cake, it is very soft and chewy. Its taste changes based on what it is coated with. The taste of omija-cha is as aforementioned. If the omija-cha is authentic and well-made, it has a slightly pungent flavor at the end.
Efficacy of Omija-cha 
It is a special medicine that addresses coughing and liver diseases. It is also effective in preventing cardiovascular diseases and dementia.

Yakgwa and Saenggang-cha 

Yakgwa is a kind of yumilgwa. It is made of a blend of fine flour, sesame oil, honey, and alcohol. Once fashioned into the traditional yakgwa shape, it is fried in oil. Yakgwa is a luxurious, high-quality snack that is made and eaten on Lunar New Year’s Day. Today, it is one of the must-have foods as part of ancestral rites.
Saenggang-cha (ginger tea, in English) is literally a tea made by boiling saenggang (ginger, in English). People usually add honey to warm ginger tea to sweeten it according to their liking. Instead of boiling ginger, it can be made by just adding ginger juice to hot water, too. The saenggang-cha in the picture is a modern version, which is made with lemon as well.

Taste and Texture 
Yakgwa tastes sweet like a pie and is soft when bitten and smells slightly oily. The outer part is a bit firm because it is coated with honey. Saenggang-cha stings the tongue, much like ginger. In the case of lemon ginger tea, the refreshing taste of lemon neutralizes the pungent taste of ginger.
Efficacy of Saenggang-cha 
It is effective in curing indigestion, diarrhea, and vomiting. It promotes blood circulation and antipyretic action. In folklore, like citron tea, it is mainly consumed when one has a cold. One reporter said that the taste of saenggang-cha reminded her of having a cold because she drinks ginger tea every time she catches a cold.

Yaksik and Maesil-cha

Yaksik, also known as yakbap, is made by steaming glutinous rice with dates, chestnuts, and pine nuts, and then mixing it with oil, honey, and soy sauce. It is eaten at Jeongwol Daeboreum (the day of the first full moon of the Lunar New Year, in English), during weddings and 60th birthday parties. The origin story of yaksik is that King Soji, the 21st king of Silla, commanded to make sticky rice at every Jeongwol Daeboreum as a reward to feed the crows that saved his life by informing him of disaster in advance.
Maesil (plum, in English) picked in spring is fermented in sugar syrup. After removing the plums from the syrup, the plum syrup is stored separately. Maesil-cha (green plum tea, in English) is made by mixing hot or cold water with the plum syrup. The plum is removed because all the nutritive value has been extracted and the plum seeds, which have a bitter taste, are unnecessary.

Taste and Texture 
The rice in the yaksik is smooth and elastic. The taste of the toppings on top of the yaksik is strong, and the rice itself has a plain taste. Maesil-cha has a strong, sour taste of plums, so adding honey is recommended.
Efficacy of Maesil-cha 
Maesil is good for recovering from fatigue and stimulating one’s appetite. The reporter used to drink plum tea whenever she had indigestion.

Injeolmi and Ssanghwa-cha

Injeolmi is made by steaming fully soaked glutinous rice, and pounding it in a mortar with a stick to shape it, and then coating it with bean flour. One thing to remember while eating an injeolmi is not to sigh or snort in front of it, because the wind will blow away the bean flours on the injeolmi. 
Ssanghwa-cha (black herbal tea, in English) is brewed by pouring water into medicinal herbs, such as white woodland peony, rehmannia glutinosa, angelica root, cinnamon, and licorice, and then decocting it in a pot. In dabang, you can find ssanghwa-cha with egg yolks. Egg yolks are added to neutralize the bitter taste and ingest protein. If you find an egg yolk in ssanghwa-cha, please do not burst it, just put the whole yolk in your mouth.

Taste and Texture 
The bean flour that covers injeolmi is light and fluffy. However, the rice cake inside the bean flour is very chewy and sticky. Injeolmi has a nutty taste because of its bean flour. Ssanghwa-cha is a very hot, bitter tea. As it is made by brewing medicinal herbs, ssanghwa-cha has a deep and strong herbal smell and taste. If you are not familiar with herbal medicine, drinking ssanghwa-cha can be a difficult, but unique experience.
Efficacy of Ssanghwa-cha 
It helps people recover from fatigue. It also warms the body and improves immunity.

This review is based on the personal impressions of the reporters. There are more varieties of traditional Korean teas and snacks besides those reviewed above. Readers should also consider trying unique teas like isul-cha (dew tea, in English), which is made by infusing hydrangea leaves, and has a strongly sweet flavor with a subtle hint of mint. Nowadays, these refreshments are sold not only in rice cake shops and tea houses, but also in cafés. Therefore, you can enjoy them in any of these places near you. If you want to experience more authentic traditional Korean teas, visit Insadong, the home ground of traditional tea houses. How about having some Korean-style tea and snacks this winter? 
 

Kang Sue-ah 
sue020324@uos.ac.kr