Cheong (food) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cheong

A jar of yuja-cheong
Place of origin	Korea
Associated national cuisine	Korean cuisine
Similar dishes	syrup fruit preserve marmalade

Cheong (Hangul: 청; Hanja: 淸) is a special Korean name for different kinds of sweet foods. These foods are usually thick like syrups, marmalades, or fruit preserves.

In Korean cuisine, cheong is used in many ways. It can be a base for tea, a sweet condiment, or even a honey or sugar substitute when cooking. People also use cheong as a traditional home remedy for common colds and other small sicknesses.

Long ago, the word cheong (Hangul: 청; Hanja: 淸) was used to mean honey in the Korean royal court. Later, other sweet, homemade honey-like foods were called jocheong (Hangul: 조청; Hanja: 造淸), which means "crafted honey." Outside the royal court, honey was simply called kkul (Hangul: 꿀).

Different Kinds of Cheong

There are many types of cheong, often named after their main ingredient. Here are some popular ones:

• Jocheong (조청): This is a rice syrup or sometimes corn syrup. It's a liquid form of yeot, which is a traditional Korean candy.
• Maesil-cheong (매실청): This is a sweet plum syrup.
• Mogwa-cheong (모과청): This is a preserve made from quince fruit.
• Mucheong (무청): This is a syrup made from radish.
• Yuja-cheong (유자청): This is a marmalade made from yuja fruit.

Maesil-cheong: Plum Syrup

Maesil-cheong (Hangul: 매실청; Hanja: 梅實淸) is also known as "plum syrup." It's a sweet syrup made from ripe plums (Prunus mume). In Korean cooking, maesil-cheong is used as a condiment and a sugar substitute. You can also mix it with water to make a delicious drink called maesil-cha (plum tea).

Making maesil-cheong is quite simple. You just mix plums and sugar together. Then, you let them sit for about 100 days. To make sure it becomes a syrup and not wine, you need to use at least an equal amount of sugar to plums. After 100 days, you can remove the plums. The syrup is ready to use, or you can let it age for a year or more to develop a deeper flavor.

Mogwa-cheong: Quince Preserve

Mogwa-cheong (모과청) is a cheong made from Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis). You can use either sugar or honey to make it. Mogwa-cheong is often used to make mogwa-cha (quince tea) or mogwa-hwachae (quince punch). It can also be an ingredient in tasty sauces and salad dressings.

Yuja-cheong: Yuja Marmalade

Yuja-cheong (Hangul: 유자청; Hanja: 柚子淸) is a cheong that looks and tastes like marmalade. It's made by sugaring yuja fruit (Citrus junos). First, the yuja fruit is peeled and the pulp is removed. Then, it's thinly sliced and mixed with sugar.

Yuja-cheong is very popular as a base for yuja-cha (yuja tea). It's also used in cooking as a substitute for honey or sugar. You can also enjoy it as a sweet condiment.

Gallery

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  Jocheong (rice syrup)

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  Maesil-cheong (plum syrup)

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  Preparing maesil-cheong

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  Mogwa-cheong (preserved quince)

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  Saenggang-cheong (preserved ginger)

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  Yuja-cheong (preserved yuja)

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  Deodeok-yuja-salad, a lance asiabell root salad with yuja-cheong-based dressings