Red beans are a popular feature of Korean desserts.
The Korean language has two terms that can be used to talk about desserts. The first, hangwa, means sweets, while the second, husik, refers to food eaten after a meal. Since foods eaten after a meal in Korea do not have to be sweet, not all items that are considered desserts may be familiar to people from other cultures. Traditionally, rice cakes, sweet potato, and melon are popular Korean desserts. More recently, French pastries and other Western delicacies have also become popular desserts.
One of the most common traditional Korean desserts is rice cake, which is boiled or steamed.
In Korea, sugar was not an important ingredient in much of the country’s culinary history. For this reason, desserts often consisted of fruit, punch, or lightly sweetened items. Flowers and red beans are also common ingredients in Korean desserts. Presentation is considered important in Korean desserts, and decoratively shaped fruits are very popular after meals.
One of the most common traditional Korean desserts is rice cake. These items are usually boiled, although they can also be steamed. Rice cakes tend to be small, especially when served after a meal, and come in many different shapes and colors. These cakes can be filled with honey or other foods and can also be flavored by adding fragrances to the water used to cook them.
Rice cakes can also be fried and coated with other materials. Sometimes they are also fried with stuffing. These cakes are often not served after a meal, but rather as a snack to be eaten with tea, helping to alleviate the rice overload that comes from serving rice as a dessert after a rice-heavy meal.
Shaved ice is very popular in Korea and is usually served with fruit or red beans. This Korean dessert can also be made with green tea, which can be considered a healthy alternative. Punch and drinks made from rice or red beans can also be popular.
Candied sweet potatoes are popular as a Korean dessert, as are savory sweet potato fries. Pumpkin soup and other hot dishes can also be served after meals. Salty snacks are sometimes served after meals, although excess salt is generally avoided.
Korean desserts designed today can be affected by both the increased availability of sugars and the traditional types of desserts. Rice cakes and shaved ice remain popular, but ice cream and other foods imported from Western sources have also gained popularity. Sometimes these elements are combined to create new and interesting desserts, such as green tea ice cream or red bean cheesecake.