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During the Joseon period, ceremonies were an important part of every family household and as a consequence, special foods for those ceremonies were developed. In particular, on the occasions of marriage and Hwan-gap, a special table-setting was arranged, which featured a variety of foods stacked up to about 30 to 50 centimeters high in a shape of a big cylinder. It was a matter of course that long years of experience was needed to stack the products successfully. Of the many ceremonial dishes, rice cakes and confectionary were popular.
Rice cakes, or tteok, are made of rice, and beans, or other grains. In ancient times, rice cakes were eaten both during ordinary meals times and during ceremonial of ritual occasions. It was only later, after the Three Kingdoms period, that rice cakes became primarily associated with ceremonial foods. Thus, rice cakes boast of a long tradition in the Korean history. Being indigenous and widely favored, there are many varieties. Rice cakes fall into three categories by cooking methods; steamed, and then pounded, and fried. Most of them are made of rice, but other ingredients such as bean, red bean, chestnut, flowers, and herbs are also added to make variations of marvelous flavors, scents, and colors. The records of Joseon show as much as about 250 different types of rice cakes.
Traditional confectioneries are mostly made of wheat flour, honey, and oil. Since these ingredients were rare in Korea, the confectioneries were prepared only for parties and ceremonies. Some popular traditional Korean confectioneries include yakgwa, gangjeong, dasik, jeon-gwa, yeot-gangjeong, and gwapyeon.
yakgwa is made of wheat flour kneaded with oil, honey, and alcohol. The batter is fried and then dipped into honey. yakgwa comes in different sizes and shapes. It was often made in the shape of flower or fish, and during the Joseon period, some yakgwa were prepared as large as 7 centimeters wide and long and 3 centimeters thick. They were displayed in stacked form.
gangjeong is made of glutinous rice flour mixed with alcohol. The batter is kneaded, divided, and then dried. The dried batter is fried and coated with honey.
dasik (Powdered grains and pollen) is kneaded with honey and shaped into decorative molds. Beans, pine pollen, sesame, and rice are usually used.
jeon-gwa is made of ginseng, Chinese quince, ginger, lotus root, steamed rice, and jujube, which are boiled in honey.
Yeot-gangjeong-Roasted beans or sesame is mixed with grain-glucose and then hardened.
gwapyeon - The flesh of strawberries, wide berries, or cherries are smashed up and hardened in honey
