Tarak-juk
Tarak-juk, also called uyu-juk or milk porridge, is a juk, or Korean porridge, made with milk and rice. It was a part of the Korean royal court cuisine and was also patronized by yangban.
Names and etymology
The Korean word is a compound consisting of meaning "dairy" and meaning "porridge".The word is derived from the Korean transliteration of the Mongolian word or Old Turkic. Cognates include modern Mongolian and Kurdish toraq, both meaning "cheese". As suggested by its etymology, traditional Korean tarak was heavily influenced by the customs of Central Asian—especially Mongolian— fermented milk products.
History
The history of tarak-juk dates back to the consumption of milk in Korean history. The Goryeo government kept Yuso, and nobles consumed nakso. However, dairy cattle were rare and usually milk was available only after a cow gave birth. Moreover, the freshness of milk was a vital factor as it could not be delivered over long distances. Therefore, milk was considered a supplementary food for special occasions or a recovery food after illness.During the Joseon era, the dairy cow office was relocated to a royal court ranch on the mountain Naksan east of Seoul. It was renamed Tarak-saek. Royal physicians took charge of gathering milk and making tarak-juk to present to the king. From the tenth lunar month to the first month of the next lunar year, they offered tarak-juk to the royal court. The Hall of Senior Officials also offered tarak-juk to elderly officials. Recipes for tarak-juk are recorded in the Joseon books such as Revised and Augmented Farm Management and the Women's Encyclopedia.