In old days our people used to make fried glutinous rice cake, sweet food on the lunar New Year’s Day.
To make fried glutinous rice cake, glutinous rice flour is first kneaded with liquor to be fermented before it is formed into certain shapes and dried. Then, it is fried in oil and plastered in corn syrup or honey. Finally, it is dressed with fried rice, sesame, pine nuts, etc.
Fried glutinous rice cake, sweet food peculiar to our nation, was enjoyed by children as it is sweet and tasty and of high nutritive value. When children made a bow to elderly people on the morning of the New Year’s Day, they would get fried glutinous rice cake as a return gift.
According to a historical document of the feudal Joson dynasty “Tongguksesigi”, fried glutinous rice cake was considered indispensable for guest service on the lunar New Year’s Day, and “Ryolyangsesigi” wrote it was the best of all the dishes prepared for memorial service on the lunar New Year’s Day and the lunar January 15.
As mentioned above, Korean people tried to create their own dietary culture with materials found in their native places.
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