Korean spiced and mixed rice dish
Yaksik
or
yakbap
(literally "medicinal food" or "medicinal rice") is a sweet
Korean
dish made by steaming
glutinous rice
, and mixing with
chestnuts
,
jujubes
, and
pine nuts
. It is seasoned with
honey
or
brown sugar
,
sesame oil
,
soy sauce
, and sometimes
cinnamon
. It is traditionally eaten on
Jeongwol Daeboreum
(
正月大보름
), a Korean holiday which falls on every January 15 in the
lunar calendar
, but also for weddings and
hwangap
festivities.
[1]
Etymology
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Yaksik
got its name due to the use of honey in its ingredients. According to the etymology book
A-eon Gakbi
(
雅言覺非
;
雅言覺非
) written in early 19th century
Joseon
, it is noted that honey was commonly called as
yak
(medicine). Thus honey buckwheat wine was called
yakju
(
藥酒
), honey rice was called
yakban
(藥飯, old word for
yaksik
), and fried honey ricecake was called
yakgwa
(
藥과
).
[2]
History
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Records of
yaksik
can be found in
Samguk Yusa
, written in the 13th century.
[2]
According to the legend entitled Sageumgap (
사금갑
),
King Soji
the 21st ruler of
Silla
headed on a journey to Cheoncheonjeong in the 10th year of his reign. on 15 January, 488, when a crow and mouse alerted him of danger. The mouse spoke to King Soji in his native language telling him to follow the crow. The King of Silla ordered a servant to follow the crow which took him to a pond. It was here where an old man rose out from the pond handing the servant an envelope. Written on the envelope was “Two people will die if you open this. If you don’t open it, only one person will die.” After being informed by his servant that the envelope was in direct reference to the king, The King of Silla opened the envelope. Inside the envelope was a letter with the writing, “Go back to the palace and shoot an arrow into the box that holds a six-stringed zither”. The King of Silla complied, he shot an arrow into the box discovering a monk and concubine awaiting to assassinate the king (Korean recipes: Sweet rice with nuts and jujubes, yaksik (
略式
), 2016). The King saved himself from a potential revolt thanks to the crow's warning and the day of January 15 was designated as a day of remembrance thereafter. Originally, this day was known as Ogiil.
Glutinous rice
was put up as an offering to the crows as a way to give thanks for saving King Silla's life during the commemorative rites, which became the origin of
yaksik
. Although, there are many variations of this legend passed on through the South Korean people, such as a tale consisting of the Suh family. The legend of Sageumgap is the most known.
The adding of pine nuts, chestnuts, jujubes, honey, and oil were added in the
Goryeo
era.
Yaksik
is also mentioned in various books from the
Joseon
period such as
Dongguksesigi
(Record of Seasonal Customs in Korea) (
東國歲時記
),
Yeolyang Seisigi
(
冽陽歲時記
),
Donggukyeojiseungram
(
東國輿地勝覽
). In
Yeolyang Seisigi
, it is said that envoys to China shared
yaksik
with the people in
Yeonkyung
, and most enjoyed the dish.
[2]
It is also said that Heo Guyn a politician, poet, scholar and writer annotated in his book Domundaejak that the Chinese people loved yakban; known to them as Goryeoban. From the Gyuhap Chongseo, (糾合總, Women's Encyclopedia, 1809) It is important to note that although this dish was shared with neighboring China, the consumption of yaksik on the first lunar month is a traditional custom specific to Korea.
Cooking
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Glutinous rice
is steamed and mixed with honey, brown sugar, and
ganjang
to colorize the rice. Soft-boiled chestnuts, pine nuts,
sesame oil
and quartered jujubes with the seeds removed are added to this mixture with the entire mix is resteamed. The
yaksik
is then put into desired shapes such as flat squares and left to cool before eating.
[3]
Over time, South Koreans have developed more modernized ways of cooking yaksik such as utilizing a rice pressure cooker. Yaksik is typically eaten at room temperature and can be kept in cooler conditions for about a few days. For longer periods of storing, keep in the refrigerator or freezer.
Gastronomic Culture
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In Korean culture the idea of Yak Sik Dong Won(略式動員,藥食同源) is commonly believed. This idea describes that health treatment begins with healthy foods then medical treatment if there is no improvement. This belief also emphasizes a common practice that food is not eaten to become full, rather to be consumed for health reasons such as disease prevention. The Korean Gastronomic culture has been developing for hundreds of years and scientific findings concur that preparation and ingredients has proven most Korean foods to be healthy (Oktay & Ekinci, 2019).
Yaksik is commonly believed among South Koreans to be beneficial to those undergoing digestive problems and frequent heartburn. Another ingredient in yaksik, Jujube is believed to aid with nervous tension, anxiety and
insomnia
. The Chestnuts in yaksik contain important vitamins C and Bs that improve ailments such as diarrhea.
See also
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References
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External links
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