Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com. Rice cake was once seen as a dessert only eaten on holidays, while many younger people viewed yakgwa, or traditional Korean honey cookie, as too sweet and greasy. “Isn’t rice cake something you only eat on holidays?” and “Isn’t yakgwa too sweet and However, the mood has shifted. Young adults in their 20s and 30s now line up at popular rice cake shops and yakgwa specialty stores, drawn to what are being called “halmaenial desserts” — a blend of “grandmother” and “millennial” to describe the younger generation’s rediscovery of traditional sweets through a modern lens. The trend looks playful on the surface, but behind it lies a deeper shift in how people think about health, diet and snacking. One major appeal is simpler ingredients. Instead of heavy doses of sugar and syrup, many of today’s traditional snacks focus on basic components such as rice, grains, honey and malt syrup. The sweetness is toned down, allowing the natural flavors to come through. With fewer artificial colors and flavorings, these treats fit neatl
Why grandma’s desserts are suddenly cool with young Koreans
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