Barley tea is an incredibly versatile drink. Both drinks are extremely popular throughout Korea depending on the weather, so you can’t go wrong! Korean Drink #10: Barley Tea (보리차 | boricha)īarley tea is one of the items on this list that can be considered almost mainstream in some other countries - it’s definitely not difficult to find outside of Korea, but its initial popularity centuries ago in Korea, China, and Japan is what has made it a staple for the rest of the world. Make a point to acquire maesil syrup this summer so you can experiment with different drinks - try mixing the syrup with sparkling water to make a sweet, refreshing soda or try mixing the syrup with steaming hot water to make a sweet, calming tea. In its syrup form, you can store maesil year round without worrying about whether you have fresh plums on hand. There are several different methods of making green plum tea, but the most popular is to use fermentation to turn the plums into a thick, sweet maesil syrup. The trees bear fruit towards the beginning of summertime, so as soon as you see baskets of these little green plums popping up in markets it’s an indication that it’s time to slip into a summer state of mind! If you’ve spent time in Korea during the warm summer months, chances are you’re already familiar with the green plums (or maesil) that are fruit of the plum trees that you’ll find throughout Korea and East Asia. Sikye is a traditional Korean rice drink that’s as sweet as it is traditional – so sweet, in fact, that it’s often served as a dessert! This Korean drink contains cooked rice, which gives it an interesting texture as you get to the bottom and has been served in Korean for centuries as a traditional end to a meal.ĭrinking sikye is such a rite of passage that you can even find it in bottles or cans in most Korean supermarkets! Pick up a can of sikye (or order it in a restaurant) and treat yourself after your next big meal – you won’t be disappointed! Korean Drink #3: Coffee Milk (커피 우유 | keopiuyu) Pick up banana milk the next time you see it so that you understand what all of the fuss is about! Korean Drink #2: Sikye (식혜) Initially, banana milk became popular because the government wanted to encourage South Koreans to drink more milk for their health.
Korean Drink #1: Banana Milk (바나나맛 우유 | bananamat uyu)īanana milk is one of the most popular beverages on this list by far – nearly one million bottles of banana milk are sold per day in South Korea! While it sounds kind of boring in theory (it truly is just banana-flavored milk), something about the combination of sweet and savory notes in this Korean drink have ensured it has risen to popularity very quickly. Reading the Korean names of products is a fun way to learn the Korean language.
If you can’t read Hangeul (the Korean Alphabet) yet, go here to get a free guide. Many of the names of the drinks contain common Korean words, which can come in handy. Whether you’re looking for something warm, something sweet, or something that’ll fill you up, read through our list to satiate your thirst for Korean culture!Īlong with the English names, we’ve also listed the names in Korean. Like Korean meals and snacks, Korean drinks are all insanely interesting and wildly different from one another and from drinks that are popular in most other countries.
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