Korean rice cake

Rice is a common agricultural product of Asian countries. Asians are known as rice eating people. It is a staple food that is a mainstay in almost all meals in the region. It is also a versatile produce being served not only as the traditional boiled rice and porridge, but it is also used in wine making, desserts, snacks as well as specialty food for particular occasions. Rice in any form has been part of the rich culture and tradition of Asians.

In Korea, they have the traditional rice cake which is called “tteok”. Koreans prepare them for various occasions such as birthdays, weddings, special holidays, as well as ancestral offerings. It is also served as a healthy snack.

Different types of rice cakes are prepared for specific occasions, and here are some of them:

Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day)
songpyeon (crescent-shaped rice cake) is the representative food during this holiday. It is rice cake filled with jujube, red bean, chestnut or sweetened sesame seeds steamed over pine needles.

Seollal (Lunar New Year)
tteokguk (white rice cake soup) a favorite food served during this time of year. It is believed that the first day of a year is supposed to be holy and clean like the white color of the rice cake. And tradition has it that you can not grow a year older without eating tteokguk on Lunar New Year’s Day.

Honryae (Wedding ceremony)
bongchae tteok(steamed glutinous rice sprinkled with red beans) made from 7 jujubes, red beans and sticky rice. The ingredients used to make this cake have their own significant meaning: the sticky rice signifies the inseperable love of the couple; 7 jujubes represents a hope for 7 sons; and red beans are for dispelling evil spirits Other rice cakes served are moon rice cake (symbolizes the moon shining over each one’s life) and 2-color rice cake (representing 2 chickens which symbolizes a couple).

Tol (1st year birthday)
There are many types of rice cakes prepared during a child’s first birthday and one of them is paekseolgi (white steamed rice cakes) which symbolizes a pure and divine clean spirit and long life.

Tteok has become a favorite recipe for the korean palate. It plays a special part in every stage of Korean life.

Chuseok: Korean Thanksgiving Day

Chuseok or Thanksgiving Day is one of the two most important traditional holidays in Korea, the other being Seollal or Lunar New Year’s Day. It is during this time of year when Koreans, en masse, head back to their hometowns to pay respect to their ancestors and celebrate holidays with the family.

Chuseok which is also called Hangawi, is a harvest festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar Month. This year Chuseok falls on October 3.

A traditional food during Chuseok is Songpyeon, a crescent-shaped rice cake filled with sesame seeds, red beans, chestnuts, jujube and other grains which is steamed upon pine needles and is prepared on the eve of Chuseok.

On the morning of Chuseok, songpyeon and other food such as fruits, are arranged to give thanks to their ancestors through Charye (ancestor memorial service). After Charye, Koreans perform the Seongmyo (visiting the ancestral grave) and during the visit they do the Beolcho (remove the weeds around the burial ground).

Under the light of the full moon, the Gaggangsulle (Korean circle dance) is performed by the female family members, dressed in hanbok, they gather around in a circle holding hands and they sing together.

Because Chuseok is such an important occasion, most department stores, restaurants and establishments are closed during this 3-day holiday (the day before Chuseok, Chuseok day itself, and the day after).

If you would like to enjoy the major cities in Korea sans the regular hustle and bustle, traffic jams and the like, this would be a perfect time for you to visit the country. Although most establishments are closed, the museums and other places of interests are still open, a perfect time to immerse yourself in the rich treasures of Korea, without the usual crowd. If you enjoy just simply strolling and feasting your senses with the beauty of the place, which you would not usually have the chance to catch when there are too many people around, you can do all of these during the Chuseok holiday.

However if you are planning to go to places outside the major cities, make sure not to travel during Chuseok, for roads during this time are extremely crowded. So make sure to arrange your travel way in advance to avoid any inconveniences.