Corn tea (oksusu-cha)

Corn tea, known in Korean as oksusu-cha, is a traditional Korean infusion made by boiling roasted corn kernels, with no tea leaves involved. It is a naturally sweet, caffeine-free drink that is most often enjoyed hot during the winter.

History

The drink has long been made in Korean households, although the sources consulted do not give a date or a specific originator for it. The traditional method involves drying corn kernels thoroughly, roasting them until golden or brown, and simmering them in water until the liquid turns a pale yellow. The tea is then strained and the boiled kernels discarded.

The most widely used variety is called gang-naeng-i and is usually grown around Gangneung, a city in Gangwon Province on the east coast. This is why the tea is especially popular there, where locals call it gangnaengi-cha. Ready-made tea bags are now sold commercially, but brewing from scratch with home-roasted kernels remains simple.

Culture

In Gangwon, corn tea is drunk in most households from late autumn through winter as a warming hot drink. It is often blended with bori-cha, roasted barley tea, since the sweetness of the corn offsets the slightly bitter taste of the barley. Because the drink is naturally sweet, sugar is only added when a sweeter flavour is wanted.