Hwajeon, kkotbukkumi, kkotjijimi, () or flower cake is a small Korean cuisine pan-fried Tteok.
Etymology
The word
hwajeon () is a compound noun made of the
hanja character
hwa (), meaning "flower", and the character
jeon (), meaning "a pan-fry".
The synonyms
kkot-bukkumi (꽃부꾸미) and
kkot-jijimi (꽃지지미) are also compounds of the native Korean word
kkot (꽃), meaning "flower", and
bukkumi (부꾸미), meaning a "pan-fried
Tteok"; or
kkot (꽃) and
Buchimgae (지지미), meaning "pancake".
Varieties and preparation
Hwajeon is made of
edible flower from seasonal flowers. Typically, rhododendron,
Pyrus pyrifolia, goldenbell flower,
cherry blossom, and violet are used in spring;
rose is used in summer; and chrysanthemum and
Celosia cristata are used in autumn.
In winter when flowers are scarce in Korea, alternatives like mugwort leaves, waterdropwort leaves, rock tripe, or
Ziziphus jujuba are cut into flower shapes and used instead.''
There are two main ways of preparing hwajeon:
-
glutinous rice Japonica rice is seasoned with salt, pounded into fine rice flour, and kneaded with boiling water.
-
Fine glutinous rice flour is kneaded into thick dough and rolled into thick sheets.
Fried flower cakes are soaked in
honey to add sweetness and sprinkled with cinnamon powder.
Hwajeon nori
Hwajeon nori, which literally translates to "flower cake play", is a tradition of going on a picnic in the mountains to watch the seasonal flowers during spring and autumn.
In spring, women used to go on a picnic, carrying a glutinous rice flour and griddle near a stream on Samjinnal which falls on every third day of the third lunar month in the Korean calendar. They picked edible spring blossoms and made hwajeon. The variety made with rhododendron is regarded as the most representative hwajeon.
Similarly, people enjoyed hwajeon nori in autumn, with hwajeon which is made with chrysanthemum flowers and leaves.
These customs date back to the Three Kingdoms era (57 BCE ‒ 668 AD) and originated in Silla.
See also
