Chuseok

Chuseok is one of Korea's most important holidays. Known as "Korean Thanksgiving," it's usually a 3 day holiday, leaving the streets of Seoul completely empty. Most Koreans visit their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors. They play traditional folk games and eat lots of traditional foods.

Songpyeon (송편) is the most popular food eaten during Chuseok. Songpyeon is a type of rice cake made out of glutinous rice. These treats are crescent shaped and usually filled with sweet fillings like sweet red bean paste or sesame seeds & honey.

Lucky for me, my school put together another 'Cooking Day' and the kids and I made songpyeon in class. The rice dough was already steamed and the kids had the option of stuffing their songpyeon with beans, raisins or sweet potato. They ate this as their snack and washed it all down with a glass of milk.

Happy Chuseok!