Korea is a fascinating country with a very colorful food culture. Besides food like barbecued meat and spicy dishes, Korean desserts and sweets are also given significance. However, Korean desserts may not be as renowned as the Japanese mochi or the Chinese mooncakes. However, they can still prove to be equally delicious. Below is a list of 10 Korean desserts and sweets that one should try to add divine taste to meals.
Traditional Korean Sweets
1. Hangwa and other Traditional Confectionery Products in Korea.
Some of the local products under this category are Hangwa, which includes products made from ingredients such as rice flour, honey, yuja, and yeot. Some of the best popular varieties are-yakgwa (cookies made from honey and wheat flour), dasik (compressed rice cakes), and gangjeong (deep fried cookies). Hangwa is a good choice for gifts but it can be well served with tea as well.
2. Songpyeon
Songpyeon are small, half-moon shaped rice cakes that can contain sweet or semisweet fillings such as sesame seeds, honey, red-bean paste or ground nuts. These gluten-free sweet rice cakes are a savoury delight and the chewy and nutty flavour is irresistible. They are on the occasion of Chuseok, which is the autumn harvest festival in Korea.
3. Yeot
Yeot is a syrup that is obtained from slow-boiling maltose or rice to become solid. It has a vibrant flavor that is not only sweet but also nutty. Yeot is used to make alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks and desserts. It can be consumed alone; however, it goes very well when eaten with steamed bread or pancakes.
4. Injeolmi Toast
Injeolmi is a steamed rice cake usually coated in a powder made of roasted soybean. Mobilized to a level of popularity by Korean dessert cafes, it is now served with fluffy toast and milk ice cream in the form of injeolmi toast. I should say that the sweet flavor of the injeolmi rice cake combined with the crispy toast and cold, creamy ice cream is an exquisite combination.
5. Red Bean Bingsu
Dessert is one of the most popular dishes in Koreans and the absolute favorite is patbingsu which is shaved ice that is covered with red bean paste, condensed milk and rice cakes. The marriage between the crispy flakes of shaved ice and the thick and sweet white bean paste is satisfying.
6. Another popular variety of roll cake is the green tea roll cake.
Korean pastries are one of the best combinations of green tea with cream. Matcha is a green tea powder that is used to garnish and flavor the layering of a unique roll cake. This delicacy consists of a spongy roll cake filled with cream cheese or butter cream. A stylish combination of Western-style cake and green tea is highly- recommended.
7. Lemon Cream Cheese Garibaldi Biscuits.
This is a sweet biscuit that is given a delicious and fresh taste by replacing the jam or chocolate filling with cream cheese. I have found that this combination tastes absolutely divine. The biscuit is slightly crisp and incredibly buttery, complementing the taste of the slightly sour and creamy cream cheese.
8. Tteokbokki Cheese Tart
Rice cakes in hot chili sauce is a spicy dish in Korean. This new dessert takes the sweet and savory tteokbokki and mixes it with cheese tart batter to create a perfect blend of cheese and red pepper paste custard tart with rice cakes on top. It’s sweet, savory, spicy, and cheesy all at once!
9. Dalgona Candy
Known for its Netflix show Squid Games, this sweet Korean candy became ever more popular among worldwide viewers. The chocolate has a biscuit-like toffee on top and chocolate on the bottom side. There is something quite entertaining in manufacturing the candy: continuously beating the sugar and baking soda until a frothy white mixture forms, looking like whipped cream.
10. Hotteok (Korean Pancakes)
Hotteok is a sweet fried pancake filled with syrup, brown sugar, and crushed nuts. It is served as a street food dessert in Korea. The pancake is made using wheat flour and fruits that caramelize as the pancake is cooked. It is very delicious when taken hot and warm.
Desserts and sweets in South Korean cuisine: The exploration of convergence and divergence. The variety of textures and tastes varies from the traditional rice cakes – songpyeon – to such trendy products as cream cheese biscuits. So, the next time you plan a Korean feast and think of Korean food or cuisine, remember to leave space for these 10 sweet Korean dishes! This is the list of foods which are loaded with sugar and are worth gaining weight for.