''Cheong'' () is a name for various sweetened foods in the form of syrups, marmalades, and fruit preserves. In

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural envi ...

, ''cheong'' is used as a tea base, as a honey-or-sugar-substitute in cooking, as a condiment, and also as an

alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...

to treat the common cold and other minor illnesses. Originally, the word ''cheong'' () was used to refer to

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

in Korean royal court cuisine. The name ''jocheong'' (; "crafted honey") was given to ''

mullyeot ''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 potato ...

'' (liquid-form '' yeot'') and other human-made honey-substitutes. Outside the royal court, honey has been called ''kkul'' (), which is the native (non- Sino-Korean) word.

Varieties

* ''Jocheong'' (; "crafted honey") or ''

'' (; liquid '' yeot''):

rice syrup Brown rice (malt) syrup, also known as rice syrup or rice malt, is a sweetener which is rich in compounds categorized as sugars and is derived by steeping cooked rice starch with saccharifying enzymes to break down the starches, followed by str ...

or more recently also

corn syrup Corn syrup is a food syrup which is made from the starch of corn (called maize in many countries) and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to softe ...

* ''Maesil-cheong'' (; "

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

syrup") * ''Mogwa-cheong'' (;

quince The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family (biology), family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard ...

preserve) * ''Mucheong'' (; radish syrup) * ''Yuja-cheong'' (; yuja marmalade)

Maesil-cheong

''Maesil-cheong'' (, ), also called "plum syrup", is an anti-microbial syrup made by

sugaring Sugaring is a food preservation method similar to pickling. Sugaring is the process of desiccating a food by first dehydrating it, then packing it with pure sugar. This sugar can be crystalline in the form of table or raw sugar, or it can be de ...

ripe plums (''Prunus mume''). In

, ''maesil-cheong'' is used as a condiment and

sugar substitute A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides a sweetness like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie () or low-calorie sweetener. Artificial sweeteners may be d ...

. The tea made by mixing water with ''maesil-cheong'' is called ''

maesil-cha ''Maesil-cha'' () or plum tea is a traditional Korean tea made from ''maesil'' (fresh plums), '' omae'' (smoked plums), or ''maesil-cheong'' (plum syrup). Preparation Most commonly, ''maesil-cha'' is made by mixing ''maesil-cheong'' (plum syru ...

'' (plum tea). It can be made by simply mixing plums and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

together, and then leaving them for about 100 days. To make syrup, the ratio of sugar to plum should be at least 1:1 to prevent

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

, by which the liquid may turn into '' maesil-ju'' (plum wine). The plums can be removed after 100 days, and the syrup can be consumed right away, or mature for a year or more.

Mogwa-cheong

''Mogwa-cheong'' ( ), also called "preserved quince", is a ''cheong'' made by sugaring Chinese quince (''Pseudocydonia sinensis''). Either sugar or honey can be used to make ''mogwa-cheong''. ''Mogwa-cheong'' is used as a tea base for '' mogwa-cha'' (quince tea) and ''mogwa- hwachae'' (quince punch), or as an ingredient in sauces and salad dressings.

Yuja-cheong

''Yuja-cheong'' (, ), also called "yuja marmalade", is a marmalade-like ''cheong'' made by sugaring peeled, depulped, and thinly sliced yuja (''Citrus junos''). It is used as a tea base for ''

yuja-cha ''Yuja-cha'' () or yuja tea is a traditional Korean tea made by mixing hot water with ''yuja-cheong'' (yuja marmalade). Yuja tea is popular throughout Korea, especially in the winter. This tea is created by curing yuja into a sweet, thick, pulpy ...

'' (yuja tea), as a honey-or-sugar-substitute in cooking, and as a condiment.

Gallery

Jocheong (mulyeot).jpg, ''Jocheong'' (rice syrup) Maesilcheong (plum syrup) (prunus mume).jpg, ''Maesil-cheong'' (plum syrup) Maesilcheong(plum syrup) preparation (Prunus mume).jpg, Preparing ''maesil-cheong'' Mogwa-cheong.jpg, ''Mogwa-cheong'' (preserved quince) Saenggang-cheong 2.jpg, ''Saenggang-cheong'' (preserved ginger) Korean tea-Yujacha-02.jpg, ''Yuja-cheong'' (preserved yuja) Deodeok yuja salad.jpg, ''Deodeok''-''yuja''-salad, a lance asiabell root salad with ''yuja-cheong''-based dressings

References

External links

* {{Sugar Condiments Food ingredients Food preservation Honey Jams and jellies Korean condiments Marmalade Preserved fruit Sugar substitutes Syrup Citrus dishes