#okchun

🏃‍♂️🏰The main ingredient of Okchun Cookie (옥춘맛 쿠키, okchunmat kuki) is 옥춘 okchun, a traditional Korean confection.

How is okchun made? Before the proper introduction of sugar to Korea, rice flour was used to make the base of okchun, but after the Japanese colonial period, okchun is now mainly made from sugar & starch syrup. These two ingredience are mixed together and heated until it becomes a thick molten mass. As it cools, small pieces are cut from the main mass and different dyes are mixed into each piece. The larger mass is stretched and worked until it becomes fluffy and white. The small colored pieces are rolled into strips and wrapped into the larger mass. A long strip is worked from the resulting dough and cut into pieces.

How is okchun enjoyed? It is pressed into round circles or simply left as small pillow-shaped cuttings, is often flavored with mint or sesame, and served with tea.

Culture check. Neatly stacked piles of okchun are served during important ceremonies, such as a milestone birthday, marriage, funeral, or wedding. In hanja, it is written as 玉春糖 (okchun-dang) which means "spring jade candy."

Fun fact! Located in central South Korea is a geological designation called the Okchun Metamorphic Belt, which contains uranium-bearing shale.

Sources

https://youtu.be/U-kIT07EU4k

https://www.doopedia.co.kr/doopedia/master/master.do?_method=view&MAS_IDX=101013000916919

https://en.namu.wiki/w/옥춘당

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0265931X01000145