''Sungnyung'' is a
traditional
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
n
infusion
Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An in ...
made from boiled scorched
rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
.
Preparation
This drink is typically made from ''
nurungji'', the roasted (but not charred) crust of rice that forms on the bottom of a pot after cooking rice. Water is poured on this brown crust and the contents are put to a simmer until the water gains enough flavor of the scorched rice.
[Nurungji]
at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
History
Records of ''sungnyung'' can be found in the late
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
era documents of ''Imwon Gyeongjeji'' (임원경제지).
Rice in Korea was traditionally made by using a heavy iron cauldron (like a
Dutch oven
A Dutch oven (not to be confused with masonry oven) is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens are usually made of seasoned cast iron; however, some Dutch ovens are instead made of cast aluminium, or ceramic. Some meta ...
), with the rice being cooked until all water had been boiled away and a crust made on the bottom of the pot. Making ''sungnyung'' would not only prevent waste of the remaining rice that was sticking to the pot, it would also naturally clear out the pot's insides which made cleaning easier. As ''sungnyung'' was made after rice had been served, it was typically served after the meal.
The consumption of ''sungnyung'' waned as
nickel-silver
Nickel silver, Maillechort, German silver, Argentan, new silver, nickel brass, albata, alpacca, is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver does not contain the elem ...
pots and modern electric
rice cooker
A rice cooker or rice steamer is an automated kitchen appliance designed to boil or steam rice. It consists of a heat source, a cooking bowl, and a thermostat. The thermostat measures the temperature of the cooking bowl and controls the hea ...
s gained popularity, as they do not generally leave a layer of roasted crust after the rice is steamed.
However, in the late 20th century ''sungnyung'' began to gain popularity again and many electric rice cookers now come with the ability to cook ''sungnyung''. Prepackaged ''
nurungji'' are also commercially available and can be used to make ''sungnyung'' in a short of amount of time by just adding boiling water.
Nurungi's evolution
Gwangju Dream, 2009-11-03. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
See also
*Bori-cha
Barley tea is a roasted-grain-based infusion made from barley. It is a staple across many East Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It has a toasty, bitter flavor.
In Korea, the tea is consumed either hot or cold, often tak ...
, an infusion made from toasted barley
*Genmaicha
is a Japanese brown rice green tea consisting of green tea mixed with roasted popped brown rice. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as "popcorn tea" because a few grains of the rice pop during the roasting process and resemble popcorn, or ...
, a Japanese tea made from toasted brown rice mixed with green tea
*Hyeonmi-cha
Brown rice tea, called ''hyeonmi-cha'' ( , lit. "brown rice tea") in Korean and (lit. "brown rice water"), (lit. "roasted brown rice water"), or (lit "roasted rice water") in Vietnamese, is an infusion made from roasted brown rice.
Prepara ...
, a Korean infusion made from toasted brown rice
*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 ...
* Oksusu-cha, a Korean infusion made from toasted corn
* Roasted grain beverage
* Sikhye, a sweet Korean drink made from rice
References
External links
The nutritional properties of sungnyung
Gukmin Ilbo, 2006-03-27. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
{{Rice drinks
Korean drinks
Rice drinks