 | |
| Alternative names | Uyu-juk, milk porridge |
|---|---|
| Type | Juk |
| Place of origin | Korea |
| Associatedcuisine | Korean cuisine |
| Serving temperature | Warm |
| Main ingredients | Milk, groundrice |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 타락죽 |
| Hanja | 駝酪粥 |
| RR | tarakjuk |
| MR | t'arakchuk |
| IPA | [tʰa.ɾak̚.t͈ɕuk̚] |
| Alternate name | |
| Hangul | 우유죽 |
| Hanja | 牛乳粥 |
| RR | uyujuk |
| MR | uyujuk |
| IPA | [u.ju.dʑuk̚] |
Tarak-juk (Korean: 타락죽), also calleduyu-juk (Korean: 우유죽) ormilk porridge, is ajuk, or Korean porridge, made withmilk and rice (glutinousjaponica variety).[1] It was a part of theKorean royal court cuisine and was also patronized byyangban (scholarly-officials).[2]
TheKorean wordtarak-juk (타락죽,[tʰa.ɾak̚.t͈ɕuk̚]) is acompound consisting oftarak (타락,[tʰa.ɾak̚]) meaning "dairy" andjuk (죽,[tɕuk̚]) meaning "porridge".
The wordtarak is derived from the Korean transliteration of theMongolian wordtaraq (ᠲ᠋ᠠ᠊ᠷᠠ᠊ᠬ) orOld Turkictorak.[3][4][5]Cognates include modern Mongoliantarag (тараг) andKurdishtoraq, both meaning "cheese". As suggested by its etymology, traditional Koreantarak was heavily influenced by the customs ofCentral Asian—especially Mongolian—fermented milk products.[5]
The history oftarak-juk dates back to the consumption of milk inKorean history.[2] TheGoryeo (918–1392) government kept Yuso (dairy cow office), and nobles consumednakso (cheese).[2] However,dairy cattle were rare and usually milk was available only after a cow gave birth.[6] Moreover, the freshness of milk was a vital factor as it could not be delivered over long distances.[6] Therefore, milk was considered a supplementary food for special occasions or a recovery food after illness.[6]
During theJoseon era (1392–1897), the dairy cow office was relocated to a royal court ranch on the mountainNaksan east ofSeoul. It was renamedTarak-saek (dairy department).Royal physicians took charge of gathering milk and makingtarak-juk to present to the king.[7] From thetenth lunar month to thefirst month of the next lunar year, they offeredtarak-juk to the royal court.[7] TheHall of Senior Officials also offeredtarak-juk to elderly officials.[7] Recipes fortarak-juk are recorded in theJoseon books such asRevised and Augmented Farm Management and theWomen's Encyclopedia.[2][8][9]
Pre-soakedglutinousrice is ground bymillstone, sieved, and left to settle. The deposits of ground rice, calledmuri, are boiled, and milk is added slowly on a gentle simmer over a low flame with constant stirring. Salt is then added, to sweeten the porridge, honey can be added.[1] The ratio between milk andmuri recorded in theWomen's Encyclopedia is 1:0.8, with adjustments allowed according to taste. However, the book advises the amount ofmuri should not exceed that of milk.[2][9]
