Outside the house is scary and outside the blanket is dangerous. Bewail on flowers since flowers bloomed. It feels like yesterday when I went out to see fall foliage because it is autumn, but it's cold in winter when you're banned from going out and meeting. In this case, you need sweets, sweets that would make your mouth water. In case you have low sugar, I will talk about gotgam(dried whole persimmon) I’ve saved for.

When gotgam came out in the song of Arirang

Hwagae Yeongok(Gurye) big baby
All go out to pick up chesnuts.
Donggumacheon(Hamyang) big baby
All go out to fold gotgam.

It is the lyrics of <Mungyeong Arirang>, the best trending song at the end of the Joseon Dynasty. It is also surprising that the same song flowed from all over the country when there was no YouTube or SNS, but it is also amazing that Hamyang gotgam appeared in the lyrics.

"What is a trending song? Isn't Song Daekwan in the song? Popular song, popular song, exciting song, you and me let's sing them too. A song is trending when people in that era can relate to it and sing it together. It doesn’t trend if one sing it alone." It is a song that has been played since the Joseon Dynasty, which is proof that Hamyang gotgam was that famous."

This is as explained by Jeong Ki-hyun, CEO of Hosung Farm in Seoha-myeon, Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. Hamyang is a place where more than 30 famous mountains, including Deokyu Mountain and Jiri Mountain, are wrapped like armor at the end of the northwest of Gyeongsangnam-do. As the name "Light-filled province," the ground of strong energy grows full of healthy products. However, how would people know what kind of products grow from the mountain those days. They couldn’t have had registered as a geographical indication like nowadays by the Korea Forest Service because it has "Gojongsi gotgam of Hamyang" or advertised by hanging banners and sprinkling fliers. It was only rumored that Hamyang had a lot of persimmon trees and had delicious gotgam through salt sellers and a peddler of women's items who traveled around Joseon. Since the rumor circulated and became a verse of Arirang, what would it be if this were something that proves that Hamyang is the main producer of gotgam? Although it was overshadowed by Sangju, Gyeongbuk, which accounts for 60 percent of the nation's gotgam production, records of gotgam in Hamyang, Gyeongnam, can also be found in the literature. The <Jumpiljaemunjib> by Kim Jong-jik, the leading light of Neo-Confucianism, and Yoo Ho-in's <Noegyemunjib> also have records of gotgam made in Hamyang for the king, supporting its historical nature.

Heo Kyun, the best gourmet of the Joseon Dynasty and Korea's first culinary critic, also mentioned 'Jirisan gotgam' in <Domundaejak> which introduced famous local products and delicacies. A natural gotgam made by a dark blue persimmon frozen and melted repeatedly in the cold valley of Jiri Mountain. If you follow the geographical features and clues such as dark red and dark pulp, the Hamyang gotgam naturally overlap.

Dessert made by Jiri Mountain, gotgam

A place with warm sunlight and large moonlight shining day and night, 8th view of Hamyang, Daebong royal azalea ⓒ Hamyang County Office

Hamyang gotgam are made into Gojongsi(a kind of persimmon) which is famous for the authentic products of Emperor Gojong. When gotgam are made, they taste sweet as a yoet(starch syrup candy), so are considered the best special product among the varieties. They have no seeds at all or just two to three seeds, and there are fewer fruit drop. It is natural that the results are excellent because they are made of the best varieties, but the reason why Hamyang gotgam is chosen as the best is not just because of the variety.

Hamyang is a place where warm sunlight and big moonlight shine during the day and night. The daily temperature range is big, so it has the perfect conditions to dry the persimmons. In the evening, the cold air of Jiri Mountain hit, and during the day, clean and warm air, repeating the steps of freezing and melting completes the rich Hamyang gotgam. In addition, the entire Hamyang area has a germanium vein, which distributes four to five times more germanium in the soil than in nearby areas. This is why fruits such as persimmons, onions, and wild ginseng from Hamyang are famous for their excellent aroma and taste compared to other local crops.

Of course, the hidden contribution of the clear air that gathers at the foot of Jiri Mountain and Deokyu Mountain is also important. In the cold valley of the Baekdudaegan, where the temperature difference is big, it repeats freezing and melting day and night, so how much gotgam would be filled and sweet?

"I still find it fascinating farming gotgam every year. The fact that a firm and bitter persimmon becomes this soft and sweet gotgam. To make a bucket of strawberry jam, you need a cup of sugar and a cup of strawberry. But for gotgam, only one persimmon is needed for one gotgam. Without seasoning, it is hung at the Jiri Mountain and it slowly absorbs the sweetness of nature. It tastes sweeter than honey or sugar."

The unripe persimmon, which is the ingredient of gotgam, is originally a bitter taste that makes your forehead crumple. This is because it contains tannin components, which is good for rejuvenation, but it can cause stomachache because of its bitter taste. Therefore, the method of eating by spreading straw in a jar and cooking it with hongsi(a ripe persimmon) or peeling the outer skin and making gotgam has been developed. Back in the days, when there were not many snacks, the sweetness of gotgam seemed to be so special that we had to be wary of. Given that proverbs that compare the sweetness of gotgam to danger, such as "Gotgam is sweet to eat right away" has been handed down so far.

60 Days of Mission Impossible

Luxury Hamyang gotgam market ⓒ Hamyang County Office

Gotgam farming will be busy from October when the cold wind begins to blow. In the words of CEO Shin Geun-soo, who farms gotgam at Hatter Farm in Seoha-myeon, Hamyang-gun, every day is like a “Mission Impossible”. Things to do are pouring out of the dry sky and there is fire in his own backyard.

“As soon as October comes, we start picking persimmons. Once frozen, it cannot be used as a gotgam, so it must be harvested before the frost falls. Autumn persimmon are very solid because it's full of sweet water. It's very heavy. Even when we lift a box, the vigorous youth are floundering. To make a good gotgam, you have to be good at selecting the persimmons first. Pick out the cracked and wounded persimmons and peel off each good looking persimmon. There's a persimmon peeling machine these days, but it used to take all the time. "Why would there be a song about Hamyang's big baby all going to peel gotgam?"

They work on Gamtareae that binds the tip of the persimmon with a thread using a well-peeled persimmon like a baby's fist. Now, there is a plastic drying rack that can be inserted without overlapping each persimmon, making the work a little easier. It is not until you hang Gamtareae on Deokjang(where to dry fish) that you have time to breathe. From now on, it's up to the season. You should give them time to get some fresh and cold air to ripen by day and night. But that doesn't mean it becomes a gotgam by itself. It takes 60 days for each persimmon to become a gotgam after drying and ripening. And this '60-day farming' doesn't just work by people working hard.

"The heavens should help us grow dried gotgam. If the day is warm during the period gotgam are being dried, the persimmons softens and fall to the floor. The scariest thing when it comes to gotgam farming is the rainy fall season. When it's humid and rainy, mold blooms. Even when strong winds and blizzards suddenly get worse, gotgam get moldy. The wind and cold have to come together to make a clean and pretty gotgam. This year, I was worried about a 30-40% decrease in the production of persimmons due to the long rainy season and torrential rains. Fortunately, the autumn weather was clear and the daily temperature range was big, so gotgam were more colorful and tasty than ever."

This year, gotgam production was reduced due to the difficulty of securing raw material due to the decline in bitter persimmon production, but high-quality luxury gotgam were produced more than usual due to the best weather conditions and best efforts. Hamyang's winter fruits, which were harvested in the snowy cold winter during the cold wind, began to be shipped in earnest starting with the first auction in early December. It will also explore various markets for five days from January 15 to 19, 2021, including the "5th Hamyang Gojongsi gotgam Festival."

Sweet and healthy medicine

It is not known when persimmons began to be eaten or when persimmon trees were rooted in Korea. Given that <Goryeosa> has a record of eating persimmons in 1313 (the 5th year of King Chungseon's reign), it is only assumed that it has been more than 700 years. The roots of history are deep, so if you find the first persimmon tree under the sky and go back in history, you may reach the Paleolithic age in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.

"The oldest gotgam story is the fairy tale 《Tiger and Gotgam》. The late teacher Ma haesong published a fairy tale in 1933 based on a classic story that says tigers run away thinking that gotgam are scarier than themselves. Other than this, there are many other stories where gotgam and persimmon trees appear."

This is the explanation of Kim Mimi, a scholar of academic arts at the National Hangeul Museum's planning exhibition, <A long long time ago>. As she said, gotgam appear in many literary collections and books, including the long poem <Geumgang> by Shin Dongyeop, a national poet. The names are also diverse, including Hongshi, Yeonshi, Yeongam, and Geonshi.

Persimmons change their name depending on the harvest time or how they are dried. When dried by fire, they are called osi, and when dried by the sun, they are called baekshigi. Baenkshi is also divided into junshi(a persimmon that is dried flat without being stitched) and gakshi(a persimmon that is shaped with the hand and dried). In Korean, gotgam are literally short for ‘Persimmons on a rack'.

Whether it was stitched or dried, persimmon was used as a precious medicine in times where medicines were precious. The dietary book 《Shikryochanyo》 compiled during the Joseon Dynasty states that it treats children's dysentery with gotgam porridge. The story is about boiling rice porridge and boiling three or four more times after adding grinded gotgam to make a kind of patient meal. 《Donguibogam》 also cited Bonchogangmok as a saying that if gotgam were intaken after boiling it with honey, it will cure the inability to digest food well.

In fact, as gotgam are called the ‘treasure of vitamins’, they are rich in vitamins A, B, and C, which are effective in improving immunity. In particular, it is beneficial for respiratory health care because it is rich in vitamin E that prevents damage to bronchial tubes and lung cells. Pectin and carotenoids are good for preventing adult diseases. The ancestors, who knew the benefits of gotgam earlier, prescribed gotgam as a healthy medicine for their weak stomachs and spleen. There is also a record that women enjoyed eating it because it is good for making their voices beautiful or removing the freckles on their faces.

Dasan Jeong Yakyong also recorded, "The seori sat white on the Eunpung (Gyeongsang-do Punggi) junshi," where "Seori" refers to white powder that on the surface of gotgam. White and fine particles come up as if they were powdered on gotgam, which they also called it "Gotgam Fury," which is a medicinal herb called "Sisang" or "Siseol." It is characterized by its strong sweetness and is was used as a cough medicine, the discharge of phlegm, and tonic. A record that in the 26th year of King Injo's reign, they were given intermittently to the queen in the middle of postnatal care can also be found.

Making a Delicious snack with a Complete snack

It takes about 35 days for bangeonsi(half-dry persimmons) and 60 days for gotgam to be shipped after drying and ripening. Bangeonsi are as chewy as gotgam on the outside, and soft and tender as hongsi(a ripe persimmon) on the inside, making it popular as a snack for men and women of all ages. If you cut the soft outer shell in half, it is moist enough to prevent it from flowing down. Gotgam that are not too soft and hard are chewy. When cut in half, it is moist and dense as if the pulp were boiled down in grain syrup. This is one of the characteristics of the Hamyang gotgam.

"When you go out to the market, there's gotgam that runs a black tint. Even if you think it's dirty, those are the real organic gotgam. Gotgam without pesticides and sulfur have a black color. On the farm, bugs come, so you can't make them like that, but the country’s elderlies dry them on the and bring them to the market."

Local seniors give tips on how to recognize organic gotgam at a glance. When gotgam are dried, sulfur dioxide fumigation is done to suppress the development of mold and for coloration, but sulfur dioxide in gotgam can remain and be harmful to the human body. Recently, more farms have been making high-quality naturally gotgam relieving them of the trouble of learning how to pick out organic gotgam.

"Gotgam are a storage food. Keep them in the freezer, not the refrigerator. Because the sugar content is high and the freezing point is low, it does not freeze hard even when stored in the freezer. It's better to take it out at room temperature before eating. There are times when you misunderstand that the white surface of the old gotgam is mold, this is concentrated sugar and glucose, so you can eat it fine."

Gotgam, which can be kept for a long time, are delicious even if they are eaten as itself, but with a little effort, they become delicacies such as Sujeonggwa(cinnamon punch), Duteoptteok(rice cake with glutinous rice flour), Jeungpyeon(raised rice cake), and Gotgamjuk(dried persimmon porridge). Recently, actress Yoon Eunhye introduced "Gotgam Jam" on KBS2TV's entertainment program <PyeonRestaurant> and it has been an issue. The Gotgam jam is completed by boiling black sugar and gotgam over low heat for 7 minutes, then boiling after adding 250g of whipped cream for 3 more minutes and cooling it at room temperature. Gotgam itself has a high sugar concentration, so you can make thick jam even if you don't boil it for a long time, and it has a deeper taste, comparing to the similar Kaya jam, which is popular among young people. Above all, the easy 10-minute recipe was very popular even after the broadcast.

Pass Winter like a persimmon tree, like a gotgam

The ritual food is called Jesu, and the preparation of the ritual table is called Jinseol. Jesu and Jinseol are different from region to family, but persimmons were equally part of the ritual table. Usually, Jesu is given a special meaning, but what persimmons meant was "growth pain."

"When persimmon seeds are planted, they are not persimmon trees at first, but goyom trees. When the fruit opens, they have a similar shape, but they are goyom not persimmons. When the goyom tree is about 3-5 years old, the stem has to be grafted with a branch of an already existing persimmon tree to become a persimmon tree and the persimmon begins to grow."

The goyom is similar to a persimmon tree, but it is about the size of a grape. A goyom tree is nothing more than a goyom tree that cannot bear persimmons until it is grafted. Grafting should also be properly attached to the stem. If you graft it to a branch, not a stem, it becomes a 'half persimmon tree' in which one branch grows persimmons and another branch grows goyoms.

This is the meaning that the persimmon tree holds. Our ancestors believed that people do not become people as soon as they are born, but only when they inherit the wisdom of the good people through growth pains, as they goyom trees become true persimmon tress by grafting. In other words, it is understood that people do not become people by themselves when they are born, but are made through teaching and learning.

Persimmon trees must undergo a special process of grafting to become a large tree, and gotgam must undergo a time of ripening under the winter wind to create a complete taste. Even magpies that eat anything well do not even consider eating them when they are bitter persimmons, but after a series of processes, they taste red and dark from the inside. The more cold days they spend, the higher the value. It would be great if people could spend the winter like a tree, like a fruit. It's still winter outside the window. It's time to endure. When your body and mind needs energy, you need sweets. Sweets to make your mouth water. Like gotgam.

Edited by

Jeon seol 
Former reporter of travel sketch, professional travel book publishing editor. She wrote <Enjoy Fukuoka 100 times more> <Enjoy Tokyo 100 times more> etc. Currently working as a free contributer.