Korean dessert
Yakgwa
(
藥과
;
藥菓
), also called
gwajul
(
과줄
), is a type of
yumil-gwa
, which is deep-fried, wheat-based
hangwa
(Korean confection) made with honey,
cheongju
(rice wine),
sesame oil
, and
ginger
juice.
[2]
Traditionally, the sweet was offered in a
jesa
(ancestral rite) and enjoyed on festive days such as
chuseok
(harvest festival), marriages, or
hwangap
(sixtieth-birthday) celebrations.
[2]
[3]
[4]
In modern
South Korea
, it is also served as a
dessert
and can be bought at traditional markets or supermarkets.
[5]
[6]
Etymology
[
edit
]
Yakgwa
(
藥과
;
藥菓
), consisting of two syllables,
yak
(
約
;
藥
; "medicine") and
gwa
(
과
;
菓
; "confection"), means "medicinal confection".
[7]
This name comes from the large amount of honey that is used to prepare it,
[4]
[8]
because pre-modern Koreans considered
honey
to be medicinal and so named many honey-based foods
yak
("medicine").
[7]
"Honey cookie" is a common English translation for this confection's name.
[9]
History
[
edit
]
Yakgwa
is a food with a long history. It was made for Buddhist rites during the
Later Silla
era (668?935).
[10]
It was popular during the Goryeo Dynasty and was enjoyed by royal families, aristocrats, temples, and private houses.
[11]
During the
Goryeo
era (918?1392),
yakgwa
was used for
pyebaek
(a formal greeting) in the
wedding ceremony
of Goryeo kings and
Yuan
princesses.
[12]
Yakgwa
was originally made in the shape of birds and animals, but it became flatter for ease of stacking during the
Joseon
era (1392?1897).
[12]
Each pattern signifies a wish; butterflies represent a happy marriage, bats bring fortune, and pine trees symbolize the beginning of a new year. One would print a lotus for harmony and a pomegranate for fertility. Then, in the Joseon Kingdom, it was simplified into a sphere. However, the balls were not suitable for presenting at the table for ancestral rites. So it transformed into a cube. Eventually, the yakgwa was stylized to take its current shape, round with a rippled edge.
[13]
In pre-modern Korea,
yakgwa
was mostly enjoyed by the upper classes, as wheat was a rare and cherished ingredient, and honey was also regarded highly.
[5]
Today yakgwa is common to serve with tea, but can also be gifts for special occasions.
Research and further developments
[
edit
]
A report released by the food science and biotechnology department in Inha University, South Korea researched effects of Jupcheong (soaking syrup) with and without ginger powder in the yakgwa recipe and then storing it for a few weeks. The dough pieces were deep fried in soy bean oil at 90 to 150 °C, soaked in syrup with and without ginger powder, and lastly stored at 30 °C in the dark for 8 weeks. It was found that jupcheong, especially with ginger, could improve the lipid oxidative stability of yakgwa by higher protection of tocopherols and lignans than polyphenols from degradation, and tocopherols were the most important antioxidants in reducing lipid oxidation of yakgwa. The use of ginger powder instead of the traditional ginger juice used in the recipe helps support the lipid oxidative in yakgwa. The lipid oxidative in yakgwa deteriorates fat and has other health benefits.
[14]
Additionally, in 2014 the Dong Eui University academic cooperation foundation and Sancheon Korea medicine yakchs patent application for health functional yakgwa. The Korean intellectual released the following abstract, "The present invention relates to a health functional fried honey cake using medicinal plants and a method for manufacturing the same. The health functional fried honey cake according to the present invention is manufactured by being baked in an oven instead of a traditional way using Eucommia, monarchy, Angelica, mulberry leaves, or tea powder, thereby reducing more calories and fat than when fried honey cake is manufactured by the traditional way and improving antioxidant functions, flavor, and health."
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Yakgwa"
藥과
.
Korean Food Foundation
(in Korean). Archived from
the original
on 2017-08-19
. Retrieved
19 August
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Goldstein, Darra, ed. (2015).
The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets
. New York:
Oxford University Press
. p. 385.
ISBN
978-0-19-931339-6
. Retrieved
19 August
2017
.
- ^
"Yakgwa"
藥과
.
Doopedia
(in Korean).
Doosan Corporation
. Retrieved
24 May
2015
.
- ^
a
b
Roufs, Timothy G.; Roufs, Kathleen Smyth (2014).
Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture
.
ABC-CLIO
. p. 213.
ISBN
978-1-61069-220-5
. Retrieved
24 May
2015
.
- ^
a
b
Yeon, Dana (3 February 2011).
"Traditional Korean Cookie Delights"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. Retrieved
19 August
2017
.
- ^
Korea Tourism Organization
(23 December 2015).
"A Bite of Sweetness! Korean Desserts"
.
Stripes Korea
. Archived from
the original
on 19 August 2017
. Retrieved
19 August
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Wood, Alecia (29 June 2016).
"
"Fairy floss with butterscotch, caramel and vanilla": meet the exciting single-flower honeys of Australia"
.
SBS
. Retrieved
19 August
2017
.
- ^
廉, 초애.
"Yakgwa"
藥과
.
Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
(in Korean).
Academy of Korean Studies
. Retrieved
19 August
2017
.
- ^
Morueats (10 August 2016).
"A Taste of Seoul: 25 Must-Try, Popular Korean Snacks That You'll Love!"
. Retrieved
10 August
2023
.
- ^
"Hangwa[Korean Sweets]"
.
Korean Food Foundation
. Archived from
the original
on 19 August 2017
. Retrieved
25 May
2017
.
- ^
"藥果"
.
terms.naver.com
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
2021-06-20
.
- ^
a
b
Yoon, Seo-seok (2008).
Festive Occasions: The Customs in Korea
. Seoul:
Ewha Womans University Press
. pp. 122?123.
ISBN
9788973007813
. Retrieved
19 August
2017
.
- ^
Hyun-gi, Noh (19 January 2012).
"Art and history of 'hangwa"
.
The Korea Times
.
- ^
Ah-lee, Kyung (2019).
"Effects of jupcheong (soaking in syrup) with ginger powder on the lipid oxidation and antioxidant stability of yakgwa (Korean deep-fried confection)"
.
Food Science and Biotechnology
.
28
(2): 329?335.
doi
:
10.1007/s10068-018-0471-5
.
PMC
6431320
.
PMID
30956844
.