Yeot
Encyclopedia
Yeot is a variety of hangwa
, or Korean traditional confectionery
. It can be made in either liquid
or solid
form, as a syrup, taffy
, or candy
. Yeot is made from steamed rice
, glutinous rice
, glutinous sorghum
, corn
, sweet potatoes, or mixed grains. The steamed ingredients are lightly fermented
and boiled in a large pot called a sot (솥) for a long time.
Yeot boiled for a shorter time is called jocheong (조청), liquid yeot. This sticky syrup-like jocheong is usually used as a condiment
for cooking and for coating
other hangwa
, or as a dipping sauce for garae tteok, white cylindrical tteok
.
If boiled for a longer time, the yeot will solidify when chilled, and is called gaeng yeot (갱엿). Gaeng yeot is originally brownish but if stretched (as taffy is prepared), the color lightens. Pan-fried beans, nuts
, sesame
, sunflower seeds, walnuts, or pumpkin
can be added into or covered over the yeot as it chills. Variations of yeot are named for their secondary ingredients, as follows.
, but another one of the multiple choices was mu
juice, which many people argued was also a correct answer. The parents of the students whose grades suffered from this result held demonstrations and protests in front of government education bureaus and offices, holding up yeot made with mu juice and yelling to the officials to "eat yeot".
Hangwa
Hangwa is a general term for Korean traditional confectionery. Common ingredients in hangwa are grain flour, honey, yeot, sugar, fruit or edible root.-Types of hangwa:*Yumilgwa : made by frying and kneading....
, or Korean traditional confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
. It can be made in either liquid
Liquid
Liquid is one of the three classical states of matter . Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Some liquids resist compression, while others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly...
or solid
Solid
Solid is one of the three classical states of matter . It is characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to changes of shape or volume. Unlike a liquid, a solid object does not flow to take on the shape of its container, nor does it expand to fill the entire volume available to it like a...
form, as a syrup, taffy
Taffy (candy)
Taffy is a type of chewy candy, similar to toffee. Taffy is often sold alongside bubblegum and candy. Taffy is made by stretching or pulling a sticky mass of boiled sugar, butter or vegetable oil, flavorings, and coloring until fluffy. When this process is complete, the taffy is rolled, cut into...
, or candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
. Yeot is made from steamed rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, glutinous rice
Glutinous rice
Glutinous rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous Glutinous rice (Oryza sativa var. glutinosa or Oryza glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl rice, and pulut) is a...
, glutinous sorghum
Commercial sorghum
Commercial sorghum refers to the cultivation and commercial exploitation of species of grasses within the genus Sorghum . These plants are used for grain, fibre and fodder. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide...
, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, sweet potatoes, or mixed grains. The steamed ingredients are lightly fermented
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
and boiled in a large pot called a sot (솥) for a long time.
Yeot boiled for a shorter time is called jocheong (조청), liquid yeot. This sticky syrup-like jocheong is usually used as a condiment
Condiment
A condiment is an edible substance, such as sauce or seasoning, added to food to impart a particular flavor, enhance its flavor, or in some cultures, to complement the dish. Many condiments are available packaged in single-serving sachets , like mustard or ketchup, particularly when supplied with...
for cooking and for coating
Coating
Coating is a covering that is applied to the surface of an object, usually referred to as the substrate. In many cases coatings are applied to improve surface properties of the substrate, such as appearance, adhesion, wetability, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and scratch resistance...
other hangwa
Hangwa
Hangwa is a general term for Korean traditional confectionery. Common ingredients in hangwa are grain flour, honey, yeot, sugar, fruit or edible root.-Types of hangwa:*Yumilgwa : made by frying and kneading....
, or as a dipping sauce for garae tteok, white cylindrical tteok
Tteok
Tteok is a class of Korean rice cakes made with glutinous rice flour , by steaming. Normal rice flour can be used for some kinds of tteok. There are hundreds of different kinds of tteok eaten year round...
.
If boiled for a longer time, the yeot will solidify when chilled, and is called gaeng yeot (갱엿). Gaeng yeot is originally brownish but if stretched (as taffy is prepared), the color lightens. Pan-fried beans, nuts
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
, sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
, sunflower seeds, walnuts, or pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
can be added into or covered over the yeot as it chills. Variations of yeot are named for their secondary ingredients, as follows.
Types of yeot
- Ssalyeot (쌀엿) - made from rice
- Hobakyeot (호박엿) - made with pumpkinPumpkinA pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
, local specialty of UlleungdoUlleungdoUlleungdo is a South Korean island in the Sea of Japan . Formerly known as Dagelet to the Europeans, Ulleungdo is about 120 km east of the Korean Peninsula... - Hwanggolyeot (황골엿) - made from a mixture of rice, corn, and malt.
- Kkaeyeot (깨엿) - covered with kkae (깨, sesameSesameSesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
) - Dak yeot (닭엿) - local specialty of Jeju Island, made with glutinous millet and chicken
- Kkwong yeot (꿩엿) - local specialty of Jeju Island, made with glutinous millet and pheasant meat
- Dwaejigogi yeot (돼지고기엿) - local specialty of Jeju Island, made with glutinous millet and pork
- Haneulaegi yeot (하늘애기엿) - local specialty of Jeju Island, made with glutinous millet and haneulaegi herbTrichosanthes kirilowiiTrichosanthes kirilowii is a flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it shares the name guālóu with the related T...
- Bori yeot (보리엿) - local specialty of Jeju Island, made with barley
- Maneul yeot (마늘엿) - local specialty of Jeju Island, made with glutinous millet and garlic
The word yeot as slang
In modern times the Korean phrase "eat yeot" (엿 먹어라) has a vulgar meaning, comparable to using the f-word in English. The phrase originated from the middle school entry exams scandal of 1964. One of the multiple choice questions asked in the exam: "Which of the following ingredients can be used instead of yeot oil (엿기름, i.e. barley malt) to make yeot?" The correct answer was diastaseDiastase
A diastase is any one of a group of enzymes which catalyses the breakdown of starch into maltose. Alpha amylase degrades starch to a mixture of the disaccharide maltose, the trisaccharide maltotriose, which contains three α -linked glucose residues, and oligosaccharides known as dextrins that...
, but another one of the multiple choices was mu
Mu
- Language :* Mu , Μ or μ, a letter in the Greek alphabet* Mu , represented by the Japanese kana む or ム* 無, Mu , a Japanese and Korean word important in Zen practice...
juice, which many people argued was also a correct answer. The parents of the students whose grades suffered from this result held demonstrations and protests in front of government education bureaus and offices, holding up yeot made with mu juice and yelling to the officials to "eat yeot".