 | |
| Alternative names | Yakbap |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Korea |
| Region or state | Korean-speaking areas |
| Main ingredients | glutinous rice,chestnuts,jujubes, andpine nut |
| Similar dishes | Shwe htamin,biko |
| Other information | Typically consumed duringJeongwol Daeboreum, weddings andhwangap festivities |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 약식; 약밥 |
| Hanja | 藥食; 藥밥 |
| RR | yaksik; yakbap |
| MR | yaksik; yakpap |
Yaksik (Korean: 약식;lit. medicine food) oryakbap (약밥;lit. medicine rice) is a sweetKorean dish made by steamingglutinous rice, and mixing withchestnuts,jujubes, andpine nuts. It is seasoned withhoney orbrown sugar,sesame oil,soy sauce, and sometimescinnamon. It is traditionally eaten onJeongwol Daeboreum (정월대보름), a Korean holiday which falls on the 15th day of the 1st month of theKorean calendar (lunisolar), but also for weddings andhwangap festivities.[1]
Yaksik got its name due to the use of honey in its ingredients. According to the etymology bookA-eon Gakbi (아언각비;雅言覺非) written in early 19th centuryJoseon, it is noted that honey was commonly called asyak (medicine). Thus honey buckwheat wine was calledyakju (약주), honey rice was calledyakban (약반, old word foryaksik), and fried honey ricecake was calledyakgwa (약과).[2]
Records ofyaksik can be found in the historical textSamguk yusa, written in the 13th century.[2] According to the legend entitled Sageumgap (사금갑),King Soji the 21st ruler ofSilla 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 (약식), 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 ofyaksik. 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 theGoryeo era.Yaksik is also mentioned in various books from theJoseon period such asDongguksesigi (Record of Seasonal Customs in Korea) (동국세시기),Yeolyang Seisigi (열양세시기),Donggukyeojiseungram (동국여지승람). InYeolyang Seisigi, it is said that envoys to China sharedyaksik with the people inYeonkyung, 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, (규합총, Women's Encyclopedia, 1809) Although this dish was shared with neighboring China, the consumption of yaksik on the first lunar month is a traditional custom specific to Korea.
Glutinous rice is steamed and mixed with honey, brown sugar, andganjang 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. Theyaksik 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.
