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Rice cake was as soon as seen as a dessert solely eaten on holidays, whereas many youthful individuals seen yakgwa, or conventional Korean honey cookie, as too candy and greasy. “Isn’t rice cake one thing you solely eat on holidays?” and “Isn’t yakgwa too candy and Nonetheless, the temper has shifted.
Younger adults of their 20s and 30s now line up at common rice cake outlets and yakgwa specialty shops, drawn to what are being known as “halmaenial desserts” — a mix of “grandmother” and “millennial” to explain the youthful technology’s rediscovery of conventional sweets via a contemporary lens.
The development seems to be playful on the floor, however behind it lies a deeper shift in how individuals take into consideration well being, eating regimen and snacking.
One main enchantment is easier elements. As an alternative of heavy doses of sugar and syrup, a lot of at the moment’s conventional snacks deal with primary parts resembling rice, grains, honey and malt syrup. The sweetness is toned down, permitting the pure flavors to come back via. With fewer synthetic colours and flavorings, these treats match neatly into the rising thought of “ingredient-conscious desserts,” the place individuals select snacks they really feel higher about consuming.
The position of those meals has additionally modified. Rice truffles are not only a candy chew however are sometimes used as a lightweight meal substitute. Variations made with brown rice, complete grains or beans provide extra fullness with much less digestive burden, making them common earlier than or after exercises or on busy mornings. Yakgwa, in the meantime, has been resized and lightened, turning it right into a espresso companion fairly than a heavy indulgence. Many customers say it feels gentler on the abdomen than truffles or cookies, serving to it discover a place on cafe menus.
What makes these desserts particularly interesting a small portion is usually sufficient to really feel glad. For individuals watching each blood sugar and weight, that steadiness issues. Chunk-sized yakgwa or flippantly sweetened jellies are seen as treats that enable moderation, reflecting a broader transfer away from all-or-nothing weight-reduction plan towards managed enjoyment.
That is additionally greater than a retro fad. Whereas the branding attracts on custom, the way in which these desserts are bought suits at the moment’s way of life: smaller parts, easy-to-carry packaging and even freezer-friendly choices. Add in photogenic designs and classy wrapping, and conventional snacks all of the sudden really feel modern. They’re being chosen not as a result of they’re old school, however as a result of they’ve developed to swimsuit how individuals reside now.
In the end, the rise of halmaenial desserts displays altering attitudes towards well being. Moderately than chopping out sweets totally, many individuals are in search of snacks that really feel kinder to the physique. By simplifying elements and specializing in pure flavors, conventional treats have slipped neatly into this mindset. That’s the reason rice truffles, yakgwa and jellies are not simply nostalgic bites, however have turn out to be at the moment’s model of a “well being dessert.”
This text from Kormedi.com, Korea’s prime well being care and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Occasions.
