Tasik: From the Elites to Everyone
Jewels of the Palace
Tasik, also known as “tea food” is a traditional Korean delicacy that was extremely popular during the Chosōn Dynasty (1392–1910). Now in the 21st, what used to be a common delicacy is no longer popular in domestic or foreign outlets. For my term project, I decided to use tasik recipes from various periods within the Chosōn Dynasty to learn more about the cultural significance of the delicacy and how that has changed or stayed the same over time. I also plan to determine if the authorship of the recipes is one of the reasons a recipe may stray further from the original. Focusing on one recipe will allow me to trace the changes of the recipe and evaluate significant changes in the culture throughout the dynasty. It will also allow me to determine why tasik is no longer a common Korean dessert.
Modern Measurements
1 mal - 18 liters - 76 cups
1 toe - 1.8 liters - 7.6 cups
8 hŭp - 1.44 liter - 6 cups
I decided to divide everything by 76
For 1 mal I used 1 cup
For 1 toe I used 1.6 TBSP
For 1 hŭp I used 1.26 TBSP
RECIPE 1 : Suunjappang
Starting with the oldest recipe, written in Chinese around 1540, the book Suunjappang by Kim Yu is great evidence that at one time tasik was a meal for the wealthy or those that were deserving. Not only was the book written by a wealthy man, but the tasik recipe was the very last recipe in the book behind mostly alcoholic beverages. At this time, the combination of alcohol and food was a symbol of status and power for the nobles and those alike.
“The agricultural production of [the] Andong cultural area in the middle of Chosōn Dynasty was developed and then the production of major food materials could be prepared more easily than at the previous time, the culinary manuscripts were written” [2]
After viewing the recipe, I can confirm that it takes access to a lot of food to prepare a delicacy that is about 1 ½ inches wide. While each cookie is small, this particular recipe called for ingredients in bulk size that could serve at least 500 people. Based on the size of this recipe tasik was only prepared for a feast. But based on current Korean traditions, it's possible tasik was prepared at the beginning of the year and eaten throughout.
“Mix evenly 1 mal of flour, 1 toe of boiled honey, 8 hŭp of sesame oil, and 3 cups of refined rice wine on the table. Knead it and make it into a lump. Make small chunks and press them onto the tea frame. Light a charcoal fire under the cast iron pot, then open the lid to check on the color after a while. If its dried in the color of lemon yellow then it is cooked so take it out and use it.” [5]
RECIPE 2: Ŭmshiktimibang
Following Kim Yu’s tasik recipe, the next recipe of my lineup was from Ŭmshiktimibang written in Chinese around 1670 by the noble female Jang Gye-Hyang. It is known as “the oldest recipe book written by a woman in Asia or the first recipe book written in Korean. [4]” Like Kim Yu, Jang Gye-Hyang is also of noble status, meaning the two of them probably did not do any of the cooking themself but instead wrote these books from their observations of the kitchen or from listening to the cooks. It is said that the
“Board of Rites was responsible for foods prepared for ancestor rites, attaining wines and other beverages, and medicinal foods. There were also hundreds of slaves and women who worked in the palace that had tasks such as making tubu[tofu], liquor, tea, and ttŏk (rice cakes).” [6]
Just like Kim Yu, Jang Gye-Hyangs' recipe was also either created to serve many mouths or to last throughout the year. Despite the portions staying the same over 100 years, times were changing, and so were the ingredients. Jang eliminated ch'ŏngju (rice wine) as the main ingredient and instead made it an optional topping. There are many reasons for this: rice wine is now for the commoners, rice wine is simply not necessary, something happened that led to a rice wine shortage, or the female perception of rice wine usage is just completely different than the male. I failed to find any concrete reasons for why rice wine was eliminated from the recipe other than the personal taste of the observed chef.
“Stir-fry and scorch one mal of flour, and mix it with one toe of honey and eight hŭp of sesame oil. Layer the roof tile with white sand and then clean paper, on top of which the tasik [mixture] is laid out. Also, cover with a female roof tile (amgiwa) and place slow and steady fire both on top and below to cook. Adding a bit of refined rice wine (chŏngju) will make it very soft. It is also good to cook this way on the hat-shaped [wide-brimmed] kettle (hwasot).” [1]
RECIPE 3: The Encyclopedia of Daily Life: A Woman's Guide to Living in Late-Chosŏn Korea
A little over 100 years later, in 1809 female author, Yi Bingheogak, released the book, The Encyclopedia of Daily Life: A Woman's Guide to Living in Late-Chosŏn Korea. From my research, this was the first time seeing multiple flavors and different colored tasik recipes. Madam Yi said,
“this work was intended for her daughters and daughters-in-law as a comprehensive guide to all that a woman should know for maintaining a healthy life and managing a household.” [7]
Instead of preparing all of the variants for tasik, I only prepared the one that seemed closest to Jang and Kims' recipe based on images. Even the most similar recipe omitted familiar ingredients like oil, rice wine, and flour and instead added omija tea, mung bean starch, and sugar. I had no idea why all of these new ingredients were added. Either the new ingredients were more accessible than some of the previous ones or the financial situation of the dynasty has gotten better, as a result, cooks can be picky. Yi also did not include any measurements, leaving it up to her readers to figure it out for themselves.
In The Encyclopedia of Daily Life: A Woman’s Guide to Living in Late-Chosŏn Korea
RECIPE 4: Shiŭijŏnsŏ
A couple of years later, around 1820, Shiŭijŏnsŏ was written by an unknown author. [9] This particular book, like Madam Yi, proposed different types of tasik, but the author also tweaked the previous recipes to their personal or regional taste. They took a minimal approach to get the same outcome and eliminated a lot of ingredients. It's possible the author did not have access to the other ingredients and found a way to be innovative. Perhaps the tasik was too sweet with both honey and sugar
1/2 cup mung bean starch
1 tbsp Omija tea
1 tbsp Honey
1. Pour 1/2 cup of omija with 1 cup of water, soak it for a day or so, and place it on a cotton cloth to make omija marks. (thicken the omija soup and add a bit of the pale pink color. Knead with honey; at this point, if [the dough] is watery it is not usable, so adjust accordingly.)
2. Knead the mung bean starch with honey and omija.
3. Separate the dough about the size of chestnuts on the table and put it on the tasik board to mold the shape. (In pressing the dough into the tasik pan, use a mallet to tap the top and a knife to cut [off the excess], so that its stomach is not full and [the tasik] is even, making it good to dish up.) [10]
RECIPE 5: Jewels of the Palace
My final recipe came from a modern rendition of the historical delicacy from the book, Jewels of the Palace. "This book introduces 70 recipes from Korean royal cuisine. The recipes are easy to follow - even by foreigners who may not have access to all the ingredients available in Korea. The recipes are fully illustrated with modern food-styling techniques”. Since the recipes in the book were meant to be easy for modern readers, it only made sense that there were multiple tasik recipes, allowing the chef to pick which recipe suited their needs. [3]
1 cup (130g) starch powder
1 Tbsp omija berry juice
4 Tbsps (35g) sugar powder
2 Tbsps (40g) honey
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 . Mix the starch powder with the omija juice. Strain it through a sieve, mix with sugar powder and honey, and make a dough.
2 . Lightly grease a mold with oil, take the right amount of dough and place into a mold where it is pressed down and cut off.
MY TAKEAWAYS
After looking at all of the recipes and creating a few of them myself, I originally thought tasik was once a delicacy for the elite that suddenly became a delicacy for all. All of the tasik recipes could be created by any one of the time, meaning it did not take great culinary skills to follow the directions or interpret what the authors could have meant. The biggest challenge for cooks would have been the ability to read. If the nobles and the slaves were taught the same, the recipes would have probably been very similar except for a personal taste like 3 more tablespoons of honey than the other. Not necessarily the recipe, but the delicacy itself was common between the royals and commoners.
It wasn't until I arrived at my last recipe that I was able to answer my original questions. Tasik falls under the category of
“Hangwa (Korean traditional sweets and cookies) that originated in the Silla Dynasty (BC 57~AD 935) Hangwa was a very important food for Buddhist feasts and ceremonies, as the eating of meats and fish was prohibited. Hangwa includes yumilgwa (sesame oil and honey pastries), yugwa (deep-fried grain cookies), dasik (pressed cookies), and gangjeong (sweet rice puffs). They were essential not only for royal feasts but during the ceremonies and rituals of the common people in the Joseon Dynasty (1392 ~1910). Hangwa was also a popular accompaniment to tea on ordinary days.” [3]
It now makes sense why some recipes feed many mouths and some only feed a couple. The delicacy was prepared for multiple occasions. Authorship was also not the sole reason for the recipe changing over time. The occasion for the delicacy seems to be the main factor for which recipe to follow. The treat probably started to decline in popularity because of Japanese colonization and because these Buddhist ceremonies are no longer extremely popular in Korea.
CITATIONS
[1] Andong Chang Ssi, Pong-nyŏ Han, Pok-sŏn Han, and Pok-chin Han. 2000. Ŭmsik timibang: kyugon siŭibang. Sŏul-si: Kungjung Ŭmsik Yŏn'guwŏn.
[2] Bae, Young-Dong. “The Historical Significance and Socio-Cultural Basis of the 16th and 17th Century Andong Area's Culinary Manuscripts in Korea.” 남도민속연구 (Namdominsokyŏn'gu). 남도민속학회 (amdominsok'ak'oe), January 1, 1970. https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART001951744.
[3] Han, Bok Ryeo. Jewels of the Palace Royal Recipes from Old Korea. Translated by Ji-Young Kang. Korean Food Foundation, 2015.
[4] “Jang Gye-Hyang & Umsikdimibang.” 영양군청 (Yŏngyanggunch'ŏng). Accessed December 3, 2021. https://www.yyg.go.kr/toureng/tourist_attraction/theme_village/dudle_village/jang_gyehyang.
[5] Kim, Yu, Chŏng-sun Sŏ, Kwi-yŏng Kim, and Ch'ae-sik Kim. 2015. Suun chappang.
[6] Lee, Gyeong-sik. “Korean Foods for the Kings, Nobility, Middle Class and Common People.” The Korea Post, June 25, 2015. http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=985.
[7] Pettid, Michael J. “Working Women in Choson Korea: An Exploration of Women 's Economic Activities in a Patriarchal Society.” Accessed December 6, 2021. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1087&context=jgi.
[8] Pettid, Michael J., and Kil Cha. “Volume 1, Liquor and Food, Part 2.” In The Encyclopedia of Daily Life: A Woman’s Guide to Living in Late-Chosŏn Korea, 11:92–135. University of Hawai’i Press, 2021. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1bn9jks.8.
[9] Sin, Hayeong. “A Study on the Korean Linguistic Meanings of Shiui-Jeonseo and Banchan-Deungsok.” EOMUNHAK-The Korean Language and Literature. Han'gugŏmunhak'oe, January 1, 1970. https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART001702759.
[10] Yi, Hyo-ji. 2004. Siŭi chŏnsŏ: uri ŭmsik chik'imi ka chaehyŏn han Chosŏn sidae chosang ŭi sonmat. Sŏul T'ŭkpyŏlsi: Sin'gwang Ch'ulp'ansa.
