매작과 · Maejakgwa

Maejakgwa

매작과

What exactly is it?

Thin dough is slit, twisted, fried and coated with syrup. The ribbon-like shape is lighter and crisper than dense yakgwa. Ginger or cinnamon adds fragrance, and colored dough can create a varied assortment.

Main ingredients

Flour, ginger water, frying oil and sugar syrup; optional cinnamon or pine nuts

Ordering and serving

Despite the twist, this is a thin crisp confection rather than a fluffy doughnut. Pack it where it will not be crushed.

Origins and changes

The name relates its shape to a sparrow on a plum tree. Passing one end of the slit dough through itself creates the distinctive twist before frying.

Sources checked

english.visitkorea.or.kr · 1

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Maejakgwa

매작과

Main ingredients: Flour, ginger water, frying oil and sugar syrup; optional cinnamon or pine nuts
Flavor and character: Thin dough is slit, twisted, fried and coated with syrup. The ribbon-like shape is lighter and crisper than dense yakgwa. Ginger or cinnamon adds fragrance, and colored dough can create a varied assortment.
How to eat it: Despite the twist, this is a thin crisp confection rather than a fluffy doughnut. Pack it where it will not be crushed.

Read about this dish →

Hangwa

한과

Main ingredients: Depending on type: rice or wheat flour, honey or grain syrup, seeds, beans, nuts or fruit
Flavor and character: Hangwa is an umbrella term for traditional Korean sweets. Syrup-soaked yakgwa, airy yugwa and molded powder-based dasik differ greatly in ingredients and texture. An assortment is not simply several shapes of the same rice puff.
How to eat it: For a gift, check the ingredients of each variety, especially nuts, wheat and sesame. One assortment can contain several different recipes.

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