Korean Jelly Teas

[Jason Perlow]

Recently, I've taken a liking to Korean "Jelly" teas, in particular "Citron" tea, or Yujacha as it is called in Korean.

This is stuff that has the consistency of and looks just like very runny marmalade, with thin slices of citrus peel in it.

You add a spoonfull of it to about 12oz of hot water and stir. Very sweet.

It also works really well as a sweetener for regular black or herbal tea. You can buy it in Korean supermarkets.

http://store.yahoo.com/enjoyingtea/cihotea5.html

http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=538

They also have other types of jellified teas as well:

Omija (1) http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=409

Omija (2) http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=410

Jujube http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=537

Ume http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=539

Ginger http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=542

Plum Honey http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=543

Red Ginseng Honey http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=544

Information about Korean Teas:

http://english.tour2korea.com/food/about/b...ddt/ddt_tea.asp

[torakris]

Yujacha is called yuzucha in Japanese and it is really wonderful either on its own or mixed with black teas like Jason said.

It is also great used in a mariande with meats of fish (similar to how a marmalade or jam would be used) and goes well in cakes.

I love the ume sryup too!

It is also great as an iced drink in the summer

[torakris]

here is a picture

yuzucha (yellow) and ume sryup (green)

[skchai]

Inspired by Kristin . . . here's what we have in our closet. The left is ogapi (五加皮, acanthopanax spp.) honey that one of my grad students gave me, and the right is yujacha from South Jeolla province that we bought at the Korean Festival the other day.

One of my favorites is the omija (五味子, maximowiczia chinensis) lit. "five flavor fruit" that Jason mentioned earlier. It has a kind of elusive scent that is floral but not perfumy - hard to explain. Omija is also a popular flavoring agent for syrups that are used in traditional mixed-fruit dishes.

I don't particularly like sweet teas so I use tea syrups on pancakes, bread, toast, etc. - works just fine. . .

[Louisa Chu]

According to my friend Grace - roommate and fellow Cordon Bleu - the best yuja-cha is made from scratch - and her favourite's made by her family's cook. The cook take fresh yuja fruit, cleans it, slices it thin, confits it in honey and/or sugar, and then makes it strong and sweet with just a bit of hot water. Grace likes to drink the tea first and then eat the fruit to finish after.

She says the jellied tea's fallen out of favour with kids in Korea - they want Starbucks or Coffee Bean - but she still finds it in art district cafes in In-sa-dong. And she seeks it out when she goes skiing - at Yong-Pyong or at Phoenix Park - for cold-weather comfort.

Grace had told me before about the yuja fruit - how in Korea - people will take a fresh fruit, place it in a beautiful, small, open basket - and then put it up in the back of their car as a natural air-freshener. She says their family drivers have to be careful to not let the aroma get too strong.

Grace also told me about how the ginger jellied tea - saeng-gang-cha - a favourite amongst older people in rural areas - is taken with a raw egg mixed in.

But maybe what's most fascinating - or at least most titillating - is the whole jellied tea subculture. It's not uncommon for country workers to call for a jellied-tea girl on a scooter. A guy out working hard in the fields or rice-paddies - rather than taking a coffee break - will whip out his cel phone and call his favourite Madame - at the local cafe - or da-bang - and ask for his favourite jellied tea - and favourite jellied-tea girl. She'll come out on a scooter - with or without a chauffer/bodyguard - and mix up the tea to his taste - while he flirts and feels her up - then back to work. Same kind of service available in the city - but sometimes the girl walks over with a tray - instead of the scooter. And extra services available at an extra charge.

[QuinaQuen]

They're all quite pleasant, but the different flavors are wasted on a quaih loh who has spent his entire life developing immunities to other Korean flavors. At this point, they all just taste like sugarcane to me. Then again, that goes for pretty much any drink targeted towards Sanrio's main demographic.