Gokgam, dried persimmon, is one of Korean's favorite winter snacks. There are various areas in the country where gokgam are famous for their good quality, and Haman-county is one of them. The gokgam from Haman has been known to be served as winter snacks to Kings in Korea.
The colors of the beautifully dried persimmon are hanging on a string in a farm. Weather plays a crucial role in quality of gokgam since they have to be naturally dried by winter breeze for months.
The persimmons are tied with a string on a bamboo tree so that it does not touch one another. If they touch one another there is a chance that they do not dry up probably leading to a possible forming of a mold. After going through a naturally drying process, it forms this great orange color.
Gokgam is processed by first slicing the skin off unripe persimmons.
There are so many hard works and dedications as to making the gokgam. The process of making gokgam is all year around from the time when the persimmon flowers grow during spring, harvesting the fruit during autumn, and processing it to be dried during winter.
This is the final product ready to be sold on the market.
When taking a bite into a gokgam, you will taste the sweetness and chewy texture of the fruit.
These are ready to be sold during Chinese New Year as presents. The whitish colors on gokgam appears as the persimmon gets more dried at the end.
There are several recipes to enjoy dried persimmon as well. First snack recipe is walnut gokgam roll. Walnut is a great match with gokgam since walnut give more crunchy texture and nutty flavor.
First you cut gokgam in half and take out the seeds if there are any.
After making thin layer of gokgam, place the walnuts inside.
Roll it like making a sushi roll and freeze it overnight.
Second recipe is a unique balance between salty and sweet. It is cheese gokgam. This is great for wine snacks and is loved by children as well.
After placing two table spoons of water in a pot, melt mozzarella and cheddar inside it. You can use any piece of cheese that you favor.
After cheese has been melted place the diced up gokgam and stir it well.
Place the mixed ingredients inside the glass-lock and freeze it for couple hours. When it becomes solid, slice it up to tiny pieces.
This is another great way to decorate your snack. Gokgam is sliced into four pieces and pine nuts is used as looking like a pollen.
Here is a great gokgam recipes to enjoy it with tea. Enjoy the best of Haman Gokgam from Gyeongsangnam-do~!
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