Rice Cakes

Rice Cakes Rice cakes, or ttok, are a Korean favorite that have been enjoyed since the introduction of rice cultivation in ancient times. Rice cakes are an important part of all holiday meals and also appear on the tables prepared for ancestral memorial rites. There are many different kinds of ttok: rice cakes made from non-glutinous grain, from glutinous rice, from rice flour mixed with aromatic greens, and white rice cakes flavored with red beans, sesame seeds, and azalea flowers. Rice cakes can be divided into four categories by preparation technique: pounded or kneaded, steamed, pressed, or fried. Crescent-shaped rice cakes filled with sesame seeds or chestnut paste are standard fare at the Harvest Moon Festival in the fall, while long sticks of plain white rice cake are sliced and added to the rice cake soup eaten at the New Year.   Pressed Rice-cakes Rice cake dough is sometimes pounded flat and cut into shapes which are then pressed into flower molds. The resulting ice-cakes, called cholp'y n are often colored with mugwort or other natural coloring. Cholp'y n are commonly served at weddings. Cholp'y n are also sometimes made by pressing their dough in circles and decorating them.   Rice Cake Dumplings Ky ngdan are small dumplings made by cooking balls of sweetened white rice cake dough in boiling water. The dumplings are then coated with bean flour, white or black ground sesame seeds, or cinnamon. The different coatings offer dramatic color and flavor variety.   Traditional Confections Koreans enjoy a number of confections made of rice flour and flavored with combinations of honey, wheat gluten, sesame oil, and sugar. The confections are kneaded, shaped or pressed into molds, then either cooked in hot oil or steamed. As in the case of Like the rice cakes, there are different confections for different occasions. Yumilgwa, which contain sesame oil and honey, and tashik, made from powdered grains, herbs, pollen, or honey, are staples at important ceremonies. Of the yumilgwa, yakkwa are most popular. They are made of flour kneaded with sesame oil, honey, and a touch of wine and ginger juice, and pressed into flower-shaped molds. Tashik are also shaped in molds, but are drier and often extremely expensive, because they contain large quantities of pollen.   Porridge While Koreans usually eat steamed or boiled rice, or of other grains, porridges made of rice and meat or rice and abalone or vegetables, are not uncommon. The porridge, or chuk is served in a large bowl, together with one or two types of kimchi, soy sauce, or salt for seasoning, and one or two simple side dishes.   Kyojasang The kyojasang is a large table of dishes prepared to serve many guests at a family celebration. The main dish is usually some kind of soup, the kind depending on the occasion, served with rice. The side dishes are many and varied, all carefully prepared to provide a rich combination of flavors and colors. At the center of the table is a special dish, such as shinsollo, a very special soup in a specially designed hot pot, or kujolpan, a nine-compartment dish containing brightly colored meats and vegetables which the diners wrap in thin pancakes.   New Year's Meal Koreans ring in the New Year with a big bowl of rice cake soup, or ttokkuk. On New Year's morning (usually the lunar new year, although some families observe the solar new year), families gather to perform ancestral memorial rites in the home of the eldest son or parents. After the rites they sit down to a bowl of ttokkuk, which consists of thinly sliced plain white rice cake boiled in a thick beef broth with green onions and topped with bright garnishes. Until recent times, the pounding of rice cakes was heard in every household at the New Year, but today most city dwellers purchase the rice cakes used in ttokkuk in the market or supermarket.   Foods for Ancestral Memorial Rites Ancestral memorial rites are an important part of Korea's Confucian heritage. Four generations of ancestors are honored on the day before the anniversary of their deaths. Ritual food is served in footed dishes or on special stands that elevate them above the table. All food offerings are served in large pieces, and little seasoning or color is used. The combination and arrangement of offerings is strictly fixed: wine, rice, soup, skewered meat or seafood, dried fish or meat, cooked vegetables in at least three colors, rice cakes, at least three types of fresh fruit other than peaches, dried fruit, and hard cookies. The table arrangement is also set by custom: red fruits and skewered fish to the east, white fruits and skewered meat to the west.     P'yebaek After the traditional wedding ceremony, the bride bows to her new in-laws in an elaborate ceremony called p'yebaek. The groom's parents are seated before a table of festive foods. The new couple bows to them and offers cups of wine. Then the parents toss jujubes and chestnut onto the bride's lap as an expression‎ of their best wishes for many healthy children. The p'yebaek table holds the jujubes, symbolizing fertility, wine cups, a wine pot, and a steamed chicken decorated with bright garnishes. The foods are brought to the table in red and blue wrapping clothes symbolizing the harmony of yin and yang.