Hallabong: The Jeju Flavor You Didn't Know You Needed
Other than Matcha, there is one flavor I grew addicted to while in Korea: Hallabong (한라봉).
What is Hallabong?
It is a citrus hybrid that began growing on Jeju Island in 1998 and tastes similar to a Mandarin. The best part is that the flavor is incredibly versatile! It tastes amazing in so many forms and goes with many other flavors.
Here's a list of the best ways to get your Hallabong on:
1. Hallabong and Matcha
Starting off with my absolute favorite flavor combination! The bitter earthy taste of matcha pairs so well with the bright, fresh citrus fruit. It is a beautiful combination I discovered at Osulloc, South Korea’s largest tea brand with store like cafes all over the country. My favorite drink at Osulloc stores is the Fresh Hallabong Green Tea, which is a nice green tea slushie with a generous scoop of Hallabong puree slushie.
2. Hallabong Juice
I tasted this for the first time on the plane to Korea, and once I arrived, I immediately headed straight for a convenience store to grab a big bottle to have during my stay. It's sweet, slightly tart, light, refreshing, and basically liquid gold!
3. Hallabong and Chocolate
Honestly, what doesn’t go with chocolate?! Hallabong, like many other citrus fruits closely related to the orange, also works perfectly with chocolate. Two really good snacks to check out are white chocolate and Hallabong crunch snacks and Hallabong chocolates! The chocolates come in different shapes and are filled in different ways, while the Hallabong crunches are typically small cylinders dipped in Hallabong-flavored white chocolate.
4. Hallabong Tea
If you've ever had Yuja tea, you would know that it has bits of fresh peel steeping in your cup of tea. Hallabong tea is the same! You just put a scoop of the jam-like mixture into your cup with boiled water, and BAM! The taste is like a cup of orange flavored Yuja.
5. Hallabong Bingsu
You can't have such a bright, summer flavor without making it a bingsu! This is by far the best way to get your Hallabong fix. The ice cream, fresh bits of Hallabong, the shaved ice and the dehydrated slice of fruit, and the almonds all go perfectly together! Just look at how delicious it looks! You just can't do Korean summer without this lovely Hallabong bingsu.
Which Hallabong combo do you want to try? Let us know in the comments below!
Written by matchalexie
