Husik means « things eaten after the meal » and the word is quite close to the Western concept of dessert (dessert comes from the French word « desservir », which means “to clear the table”). But in Korean tradition, where sugar was rare, if not absent, dessert is not only about sweets. It can include a fresh peeled fruit like pear or watermelon, or dried persimmon, to fresh up the mouth after the fire of red pepper. Sometimes, a traditional cake can be offered, although rice after rice (the centre of a Korean meal) being not really refreshing, it is usually given in small quantities.

Rice cakes exist in dozens of shapes and recipes. Some are coated with pine nut, yellow or red bean powder, or sweetened with honey or malt syrup. They can be stuffed with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, walnut, adzuki bean paste, chestnut purée… You can find cakes make with white rice or glutinous rice flours, steamed or fried; others are even made with wheat flour, like the yakgwa, which is poured in honey after being deep fried, reminding the sweet traditions from the Islamic countries.

Generally speaking, the word tteok refers to rice cakes which are steamed or boiled, whereas gangjeong refers to rice cakes which are steamed, fried and coated. Yeotgangjeong denotes different grains mixed with yeot or malt syrup. So you can experience a wide range of tastes and textures, from the light Baekseolgi or sticky injeolmi, to the heavier yakgwa, the chewy jeolpyeon, the crunchy gangjeong… As you can see, none of these sweets include, like in the Western tradition, eggs nor milk, but because they are made with syrup or honey, and rice, they are quite nutritive. They are therefore favoured with tea or as a snack rather than after the meal.

Indeed, the Korean desserts give a stress on the final refreshing touch rather than the gourmet experience of a last course. It is quite common to simply offer after the meal a lightly sweetened drink like sikhye (rice and malt) or sujeonggwa (fruit punch with spices and cinnamon). But let us not forget that even in Europe, it took centuries before the dessert became a part of the meal as we know it now. It was at first composed of jams, fruits and pastries made for the pleasure of the eyes, displaying the talents of the chef and the grandeur of the host. We have to wait for the gourmand 19th century for people to develop a sweet tooth and look for a formalised last course around sweets. The democratisation of sugar at that time was also an important element in the development of pastry and sweets on everyday tables. In Korea, the historical tradition being different, don’t expect to find a dessert menu in restaurants. Instead, you will often be treated with one of the above mentioned complimentary husik.

But it doesn’t mean that contemporary Koreans don’t have a sweet tooth. Anywhere in the country you’ll find a pastry shop belonging to one of the giant chains bearing a French name and successfully offering an incredible range of breads, cakes, doughnuts, ice creams, cookies… You also can find thousands of coffee shops offering espressos along with waffles, pancakes, tarts, cheesecakes, etc. It is a proof of the change of diet witnessed among the new generations of Koreans, and for you as a visitor, a chance to have your Western style husik, if you miss it too much!