Rice syrup is a staple in Korean cuisine. It is used in many savory dishes, and it’s the base of traditional sweets like yeot, or rice taffy.
A 1-kilogram bottle of artisanal rice syrup can reach $140. It’s all due to sikhye: a mixture of steamed rice, hot water, and barley malt.
Sikhye takes days, and nights, of hard work to achieve. So how long does it actually take to make sikhye? And is this why rice syrup is so expensive?
