How yakgwa won over the Yuan dynasty — and is winning again

Yakgwa, the honey-glazed confection traditionally eaten during chuseok, has emerged as a trendy dessert in recent years and is gaining recognition among foreign visitors. But the appeal of this "K-yakgwa" is nothing new. The sweet was an even bigger sensation in Yuan-dynasty China during the Goryeo period — though the way people think about its nutritional value has changed considerably since then.

Records of yakgwa's popularity in the Yuan dynasty appear in both the "Goryeosa" and the "Ojuyeonmunjangjeonsango." According to the "Goryeosa," a dynastic history compiled by the Joseon court, when the Goryeo crown prince held his wedding in the Yuan dynasty during the reign of King Chungnyeol, yakgwa was served at the banquet and drew lavish praise — guests reportedly said the confection melted in the mouth.

The "Ojuyeonmunjangjeonsango," an encyclopedia compiled by Joseon scholar Yi Gyu-gyeong, contains a similar account. It records that when yakgwa was served at the wedding of the Goryeo crown prince and a Yuan princess during the reign of King Chungseon, Yuan court officials were overjoyed.

Yuan-dynasty people called the treat "Goryeo-byeong," meaning a Goryeo-style confection, and actively sought it out. According to the Academy of Korean Studies, the craze for Goryeo yakgwa stands as one of the defining examples of what was known as "Goryeo style" — a phenomenon in which Goryeo culture and customs became fashionable among the Yuan ruling class. Much like today's hallyu wave, Goryeo food and culture spread as a trend through the Yuan imperial court and upper classes.

Yun Suk-ja, director of the Korea Traditional Food Research Institute, said yakgwa was always placed on the table when foreign envoys visited, which helped its reputation spread as far as China. "If you look at records from the Yuan period, they wrote that people loved the taste and envied the Goryeo people who got to eat it," she said.

In those days, yakgwa was a luxury food of the highest order. Wheat flour, oil and honey were all extremely scarce in the Goryeo period. The confection is made by kneading flour with honey and sesame oil, deep-frying the dough, then soaking it in honey or grain syrup.

Because such precious ingredients went into it, the name "yakgwa" — literally "medicinal confection" — derived from the idea that it was a snack with the properties of medicine. The "Jibongyuseol," an encyclopedia compiled by late Joseon scholar Yi Su-gwang, explains that the name originated from the health benefits of its three core ingredients: wheat, honey and oil. The entry is considered the earliest documented account of the name's origin.

The "Jibongyuseol" states that the oil-and-honey pastry known as "yumilgwa" came to be called yakgwa because wheat is a grain that concentrates the energy of all four seasons, honey is the foremost of all medicines, and oil kills parasites and neutralizes toxins. The name, in other words, reflected the belief that every ingredient was beneficial to the body.

Today, however, the picture is quite different. Far from being rare, medicine-like ingredients, the components of yakgwa are now everyday staples — and the confection has become a high-calorie dessert that should be eaten only in moderation. Its high fat and sugar content means that, despite its wholesome name, health authorities recommend keeping portions small.

According to nutritional data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, a single piece of yakgwa (30 grams) contains 119.7 kilocalories. Measured per 100 grams, it clocks in at around 400 kilocalories — far higher than other chuseok foods such as tteokgalbi at 201 kilocalories and japchae at 145 kilocalories. It also contains 10.5 grams of sugar.

Eaten in moderation, yakgwa offers a distinctive flavor worth savoring. One pairing that has drawn attention recently is yakgwa with coffee — many people say the bitterness of an Americano complements the sweetness of the confection perfectly.

Combining it with cold ice cream has also become popular. The method is simple: warm a piece of yakgwa in the microwave for about 10 seconds, then top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.