1. Ingredients for Yakgwa
-Main ingredient: flour
-Side ingredients: oil, jocheong (or honey)
2. Taste Evaluation
-Hot taste: ☆☆☆☆☆
-Salty taste: ★☆☆☆☆
-Sweet taste: ★★★★☆
-Sour taste: ☆☆☆☆☆
-Savor: ★★☆☆☆
3. A Brief Introduction To Yakgwa 약과
“Hangwa” is Korean traditional snack, which is made of grain powder, fruit and coated with honey, sugar and taffy.
“Yakgwa” is the most popular hangwa. It is soaked in “jocheong”, so it is chewy and sweet.
Everyone enjoy this snack. Main ingredients of yakgwa is flour, oil and honey, which are very precious food items.
So it was mainly used during holiday, party and ancestral rites. It was popular with not only royalty and aristocrat but also ordinary people in the Koryo Dynasty. Increasing consumption of grain, honey and oil led inflation.
So Koryo Dynasty prohibited making yakgwa. It had been continuously popular and the favorite food of people in Joseon Dynasty. Since then, it has been loved with many Korean people.
Yakgwa means “snack of medicine”. Flour is ripen through all seasons, so it gets the energy of all moments. Honey is highly nutritious and oil kills insects and improves detoxification process. Therefore, yakgwa made of these ingredients is good for body.
Dough with salt and honey are made a shape of flower or animal, and fry with oil. And then it is soaked in jocheong with ginger juice. Jocheong is similar to honey, so it is used to make deep taste. It is aromatic, sweet and chewy.
And it has a taste and fragrance of ginger, which make it distinctive. Like snacks in these days, it is so sweet and aromatic that it is loved by both children and adults. It is a good dessert as it is sweet and fragrant. Moreover, it is well matched with beverages like milk, coffee and black tea. If you eat Korean food made of garlic, you should try this.
4. The Kinds of Yakgwa
Yakgwa is usually made and sold after being fried with oil and being soaked in jocheong. Some people make various kinds of yakgwa by adding glutinous rice flour or sweet pumpkin.
5. The Way To Enjoy Delicious Yakgwa
Yakgwa has been traditional snack since the Goryeo Dynasty, and it is still popular. Since it is made of flour, foreigners can easily enjoy it, too. You don't need to eat yakgwa in Korean style.
Most Koreans love yakgwa, so you can find it in convenience store or supermarket. Some people eat yakgwa on the street. Also, you don't need to eat it with Korean traditional food or beverages.
In my opinion, you can't enjoy yakgwa with sweet sikhye or sujeonggwa. In order to enjoy sweet and chewy texture, you should have it with non sweet beverages like milk, coffee, black tea or green tea.
