Memil-muk
Alternative names | Buckwheat jelly |
---|---|
Type | Muk |
Place of origin | Korea |
Associated national cuisine | Korean cuisine |
Main ingredients | Buckwheat starch |
Cookbook: Memil-muk Media: Memil-muk |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 메밀묵 |
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Hanja | n/a |
Revised Romanization | memil-muk |
McCune–Reischauer | memil-muk |
IPA | [me.mil.muk̚] |
Memil-muk (메밀묵) or buckwheat jelly is a light gray-brown muk (jelly) made from buckwheat starch.[1] It is commonly served as banchan (side dish accompanying rice) as well as anju (food accompanying alcoholic drinks). In post-war Korea during the mid- to late- 20th century, memil-muk along with chapssal-tteok (glutinous rice cakes) was widely served as yasik (late-night snack) by street vendors.[1][2][3] Today, it is also a popular diet food.[1]
Along with other buckwheat dishes, it is a local specialty of Gangwon Province, especially Bongpyeong Township in Pyeongchang County.[4]
Preparation
Unhulled whole buckwheat grains are soaked in water to reduce bitter taste and ground in maetdol (millstone), and passed through a sieve.[4] The skins are discarded, and the remaining liquid is set aside to allow it to separate into layers.[4] The upper layer, consisting of clear water, is discarded. The lower layer, consisting of settled mung bean starch, is boiled with constant stirring.[4] When cooled, the mixture sets to form a jelly-like substance, muk.[4]
Memil-muk is most commonly eaten as memil-muk-muchim (메밀묵무침; "buckwheat jelly salad"), a banchan (side dish) in which chunks of memil-muk are mixed with chopped kimchi, ground toasted sesame seeds and soy sauce.[1][2] In Gwangwon Province, memil-muk is also used in jesa (ancestral rites) for deceased (grand-)parents.[2] In summer, memil-muk-sabal (메밀묵사발; "cold buckwheat jelly soup") is made with cold kimchi broth, while in winter, memil-muk is served in hot jangguk (soy sauce-based beef broth).[2]
In folklore
From ancient times, memil-muk was thought to be irresistible to dokkaebi (Korean goblins).[5]
Memil-muk is offered in dokkaebi-gut, a gut (shamanistic ritual performed by a mu shaman) for chasing away dokkaebi, that were believed to be the causes of contagious diseases.[6] Other rituals with similar purpose, such as dokkaebi-je, a jesa (Confucian ritual, held in households), and dokkaebi-gosa, a gosa (shamanistic or Buddhist household ritual, held in households), also include the offering of memil-muk.[6]
In popular culture
In the manhwa Dokebi Bride, the use of memil-muk to call on dokebi is an important plot device.
Gallery
- Memil-muk-muchim (buckwheat jelly salad)
- Memil-muk-sabal (cold buckwheat jelly soup)
- Blocks of memil-muk (buckwheat jelly)
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Memil-muk. |
- Dotori-muk, acorn jelly
- Nokdu-muk, mung bean jelly
- Konnyaku, Japanese konjac jelly
References
- 1 2 3 4 Koo, Chun-sur (Autumn 2003). "Muk : A Refreshing Taste to Whet the Appetite". Koreana. 17 (3). Retrieved 4 February 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 정, 혜경. "memil-muk" 메밀묵. Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ↑ Neff, Robert (6 January 2016). "[Joseon Images] Snack peddlers popular to Westerners in 19th century". The Korea Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "memil-muk" 메밀묵. Doopedia (in Korean). Doosan Corporation. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ↑ Jones, Brooke (28 October 2016). "Friday Frights: A Local Ghoul Glossary". Honolulu. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- 1 2 Kim, Jongdae. "Dokkaebigut" 도깨비굿 [Goblin Ritual]. Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture. National Folk Museum of Korea. Retrieved 19 June 2017.