Gen Z’s Choice of Traditional Desserts : VISITKOREA

Gen Z’s Choice of Traditional Desserts

Retro is the New Hip

Yakgwa, a traditional Korean honey cookie, is gaining popularity in Korea. Along with these cookies that have been long known as a popular snack for old ladies, young Koreans are now rocking the so-called “granny chic style” when it comes to the latest trend in food and fashion. The trend “halmae-nials”, a compound word made by combining the Korean word “halmae,” which means “granny,” and “millennial” embrace and redefine the granny style, with honey cookies becoming Millennials and Gen Z’s favorite snack. They don’t even mind waiting in a long line to buy some handmade honey cookies that they call “halmaenial dessert.” Find out which traditional Korean snacks became hot to Korean Gen Z.

Party Rice Cake, Reinterpretation of Rice Cake

Snow White Rice Cake Topped with Matcha Cream

Black Sesame Rice Roll Cake & Snow White Cake Topped with Sweet Potato Mousse

Snow White Rice Cake Topped with Blueberries

Snow White Rice Cake Topped with Pumpkin Cream and Crumble

Rice cakes have been a staple food in most East Asian countries that grow rice as their staple crop, and they're especially popular as a snack in Korea, where they can be found in convenience stores and subway station kiosks. Because rice cakes are quite filling, they were either thought of as more of meal replacements or old-fashioned snacks associated with traditional tea, especially in terms of their characteristic chewiness and sweetness. Due to these facts, they were more popular among the older generations, rather than youngsters.

But with the retro wave sweeping over the world of desserts in Korea, fusion-style desserts made with rice cakes are becoming ever more popular with the younger generation. Instead of more common types of rice cake that are usually chewy or springier in texture, snow white rice cake and steamed rice cake with a light and fluffy texture are used as the sponge of the cake. Put together with cream and various toppings, these fusion-style rice cakes go well not only with traditional beverages but also with cafe-style beverages like coffee and ade as well.

Furthermore, these cakes utilize the “halmae-nial” ingredients like black sesame, matcha, and pumpkin to seamlessly connect the art of rice cakes with contemporary dessert cakes and capture the trendy taste buds of young consumers. Snow white rice cake topped with bittersweet matcha cream and rice roll cake topped with black sesame became particularly popular among people of all age and gender.

The popularity of such rice cakes can be seen in the fact that , a Korean TV show in its second season that visits bakeries throughout Korea, even had a cafe specializing in such rice cakes that rank high in popularity in any given region. So if you want to see a new side of rice cakes that is different from the rice cakes you are used to, follow the youngsters and opt for some party rice cake.

Siroo Cake
1F, 18 Eoulmadang-ro 1-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
+82-70-4177-7700
11:00-20:00 / Closed Sundays
Rice Roll Cake Topped with Black Sesame KRW 6,300
Snow White Rice Cake Topped with Matcha Cream KRW 7,300
Snow White Rice Cake Topped with Sweet Potato Mousse KRW 7,300

Seongsu Siroo
No. 103, 1F, 42 Seongsuil-ro 8-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
+82-507-1321-8262
11:30-20:00 / Closed Sundays, Mondays
Decorated Steamed Rice Cake KRW 7,500
Half and Half Rice Cake KRW 5,500
Today’s Rice Cake KRW 3,500

Dalchum Siroo
104 Gwanak-ro 12-gil, Gwanak-gu, Seoul
+82-507-1343-5132
12:00-22:00 / Closed Mondays, Tuesdays
Snow White Rice Cake with Malt Syrup and Honey Cookies KRW 8,200
Decorated White Rice Cake KRW 8,200
Snow White Rice Cake Topped with Mugwort and Sweet Red Beans KRW 8,000

Honey Cookies, Fast-Becoming the Most Popular Korean Snack

Honey Cookies, the Most Trending Snack Among Korean Gen Z

Mugwort Powder-coated Rice Cake Tiramisu and Mugwort Cookies:
The Two Popular Snacks after to Honey Cookies

Honey cookies are a traditional Korean snack made of dough using honey, flour, water, oil, and liquor, which is then shaped with a mold and deep-fried in oil. During the Goryeo period when sugar was not common, honey was a highly valued sweetener that was also used as a medicine. Yakgwa in Korean, was named as such because the name “Yak-gwa” literally means “medicinal-confection” in Korean. In the age where sweet foods were not common, honey cookies were a valuable confection that delivered luxurious sweet flavors to the eater, but its popularity fell with the emergence of a wide range of desserts, particularly among the younger consumers.

Recently, honey cookies became popular among young Koreans. Famous honey cookie stores at Seoul’s Gwangjang Market see crowds of young visitors waiting for their turn, while others around Korea put their ticketing skills to good use in “Yaketing” (Yakgwa + Ticketing), races to secure their chances in getting highly coveted Yakgwa products that are said to be similar to ticketing races for K-Pop concerts. Posts boasting successful “Yaketing” can easily be found in social media as well.

This honey cookie craze has also resulted in making it a popular ingredient for other types of new snacks as well. Yakgwa Cookies, Yakgwa Financier, Yakgwa Ice Cream, and other desserts utilizing honey cookie as an ingredient can be found not only at dessert cafes but also in convenience stores. Yakgwa cookies in particular has become popular for the combination of their characteristic texture and soft cream cheese.

Honey cookies and other traditional Korean desserts have proved to be very popular overseas as well. Shopee Korea, an E-commerce platform serving Southeast Asian markets and Taiwan, saw the number of orders for traditional Korean desserts increase by 53% in the first half of 2023, compared to the previous year. In particular, honey cookie sales have increased by 450% from the previous year, demonstrating honey cookie’s popularity in Southeast Asian markets.

Motunui
1F, 251 Donggyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
+82-507-1374-1586
12:00-21:30 / Open all year round
Honey Cookie KRW 4,200
Mugwort Powder-coated Rice Cake Tiramisu KRW 7,900
Rice Cake Cookie Topped with Pumpkin and Mugwort KRW 3,400

JangInThe Pocheon Branch
1090-4 Gwangneungsumogwon-ro, Soheul-eup, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
+82-507-1324-4712
10:00-19:00 / Last order at 17:30 / Open all year round
Handmade Honey Cookie KRW 1,500 / 1 Pack of Honey Cookies KRW 6,000

LILY BAKERY
1F, 21 Neungdong-ro 13-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul
+82-2-469-0888
10:30-23:00 (Weekends 09:00-23:00) / Open all year round
Honey Cookie KRW 5,300 / Mugwort Scone KRW 3,900 / Gourmet Butter Salt Bread KRW 3,500

Gaeseong Juak, a Beautiful Round Snack

Gaeseong Juak with Beautiful Artistic Curves

Gaeseong Juak Topped with Apple Compote

Gaeseong Juak Topped with Apple Compote, Tangerine, Cheese Stuffed Dried Persimmon

Gaeseong Juak Topped with Flower-shaped Jujube and Red Bean Paste Jelly with Bellflower Root Syrup

Gaeseong juak is the most likely candidate to take over the popularity of honey cookies. Originating from Gaeseong, the ancient capital of Goryeo, Gaeseong juak is made by using the following recipe: First, knead a dough made with sweet rice powder, flour, and unrefined rice wine into a round and flat disc, then make an indent on the top of the disc for garnishing. Deep-fry the dough until golden, then coat the cake in malt syrup. Finally, add garnishing onto the indent on top of the disc, such as pumpkin seeds, jujube, or other types of nuts, to complete the delicious Gaeseong juak’s persimmon-like shape.

Because Gaeseong juak is soaked in cinnamon malt syrup, it’s very sweet and crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. These days, Gaeseong juak is topped with novel garnishes like cream cheese, fruit, and chocolate. Because Gaeseong juak can present a variety of flavors and looks according to different garnishes used on the confection, it can appeal to a wide range of preferences.

Because it’s beautifully decorated, Gaeseon juak makes a great snack or gift for guests and perfect for Social media photos.

Yeonlihuijae
48-21 Jangneung-ro 51beon-gil, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do
+82-10-4320-8032
11:00-19:30 / Last order at 19:00 / Closed Mondays
Gaeseong Juak KRW 2,500
Apple Compote Gaeseong Juak KRW 2,600
Castella-powder-coated Pumpkin Rice Cake KRW 6,200

GOLDEN PIECE
25 Hannam-daero 27-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
+82-507-1346-7250
12:00-18:00 / Open all year round
Gaeseong Juak Set KRW 23,000
Assorted Honey Cookie Set KRW 56,000
Sweet Rice Honey Cookie Set KRW 55,000

Hoyangholim
1F, 4 Uwolsun-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-507-1360-0072
11:00-21:30 / Last order at 21:00 / Open all year round
Gaeseong Juak (Mango) KRW 2,800
Gaeseong Juak (Red Bean Paste and Butter) KRW 2,800
Gaeseong Juak (Classic) KRW 2,500

Next time you’re in Korea, head to one of these places to try the traditional snacks that have captured the taste buds of Korean Gen Z. Indulging yourself with a snack that is both traditional and modern can be quite an experience.

* The column was written in November 2023, hence some of the details may have changed. Please check with the restaurants before visiting.