Promoting the Charms of Korea’s Healthy Foods
(Published September 2)

Hangaone Museum in Pocheon, Home of Traditional Korean Confectionary
 

◇ Visitors at the Hangaone Museum learning how to make oil-and-honey pastries. ⓒ Park Hae-yun
 ◇ Korean confections in all shapes and sizes, including dasik, yakgwa, and gangjeong (from left). ⓒ Park Hae-yun
 
Pocheon City in Gyeonggi Province is well known for its tasty beef ribs and makgeolli. Surrounded by the beautiful scenery of Sanjeong Lake and Myeongseong Mountain, the region is renowned for its delicious and diverse foods, due in part to its fresh water and clean air. Locally produced Korean confections have come increasingly under the spotlight since the advent of the healthy-eating trend.

◇ The making of yugwa, the “flower” of all Korean treats. ⓒ Park Hae-yun
 
Korean confections are called hangwa. Made with local produce and without a trace of additives, hangwa are the ideal snacks for modern, health-conscious citizens. Some hangwa are made by mixing powdered grain with sugar, taffy, and honey and then frying them in oil, while others are made with fruits or roots broiled or hardened in a coat of honey. Each individual piece requires great care and skill to fashion it into a delicious and colorful treat.
 

◇ The Museum of Korean Traditional Confectionary ⓒ Park Hae-yun
 
Hangaone, located in Sanjeong-ri of Pocheon City, is the nation’s largest Korean confectionary culture education institute. Korean Confectionary Master Kim Gyu-heun (National Korean Confectionary Master No. 26) opened the museum in April 2008 to promote the charms of the confections. The long-term objective is to make the Museum of Korean Traditional Confectionary and the Korean Traditional Confectionary Education Center internationally recognized institutes.◇ The Museum of Korean Traditional Confectionary displays the variety and history of Korean confections. (left) Master Kim Gyu-heun is checking the fermentation of sticky rice, an important ingredient in Korean confectionary. (right) ⓒ Park Hae-yun (left), ⓒHangaone (right)
 
The Korean Traditional Confectionary Education Center allows visitors to try their hand at the craft of making confections and learn about traditional etiquette. The center offers a variety of programs for people who want to experience the making of Korean treats for a day, basic training for high school students, annual education courses to train Korean traditional confectionary professionals from among carefully selected candidates, and house-call education classes. Visitors to the museum will learn about the history of Korean confectionaries, their diversity, how they are made, and their ingredients. Trace the past and future of Korean confectionaries through a range of historic artifacts.
 ◇ How did daddy do? (left) ⓒ Hangaone
 ◇ A child concentrates in class (left); placing a decoration on a piece of confectionary (center); a mortar displayed in the Museum of Korea Traditional Confectionary (right). ⓒ Park Hae-yun◇ Visitors writing their wishes on paper at the Hangaone Museum. ⓒ Park Hae-yun
 
Inquiries: +82-31-533-8121, www.hangaone.com
ⓒ G-News Plus News | Kim Jin-su
 
http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201109021622441896C059&s_code=C059