If you’ve spent any time around Korean cafes or K-dramas lately, you’ve probably seen it: a glossy, flower-shaped little cookie that everyone’s suddenly obsessed with. So what is yakgwa? It’s Korea’s traditional honey cookie — one of the oldest sweets in the country — and after centuries as a holiday treat, it’s having a massive comeback. Here’s a local’s guide to what it is, how to eat it, and where to find the good stuff.
What is yakgwa, exactly?
Yakgwa (약과) is a traditional deep-fried honey cookie made from wheat flour, honey, sesame oil, and ginger, then soaked in a sweet syrup. The name is telling: yak means “medicine” and gwa means “confection,” so it’s literally a “medicinal confection” — back when honey was rare and prized for its supposed healing powers, this was a precious, special-occasion treat.
It’s genuinely old. Koreans have been making yakgwa for over a thousand years, and it was long served at holidays, weddings, and ancestral rites — food special enough for the upper classes and the ritual table.
What does it taste like?
Rich, sweet, and distinctive. The honey and syrup make it properly sweet, while the sesame oil and ginger give it a warm, fragrant depth you won’t find in a Western cookie. The texture is the signature part — Koreans call it jjonduk: dense and chewy, almost toffee-like, with the syrup bursting out as you bite.
One thing worth knowing: texture varies a lot. Mass-produced supermarket yakgwa tends to be firmer and chewier, and some brands even come out on the crisp side — it really depends on the brand. A well-made one — especially handmade — is moist and soft, in a different league. (More on where to find that below.)
How to eat yakgwa
Yakgwa is rich, so it’s traditionally enjoyed a piece or two at a time, with a drink to balance the sweetness. A few ways locals eat it:
- With tea or coffee — the classic pairing. A bitter Americano or green tea cuts the sweetness perfectly.
- Warm or cold — microwave it for a few seconds to soften it, or chill it for a firmer, chewier bite.
- My favorite: with vanilla ice cream. This is the one I always recommend — put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a piece of yakgwa and eat them together. The warm, syrupy sweetness against the cold, creamy vanilla is genuinely delicious, like a Korean take on an affogato.
It’s such a good combination that Korean cafes have run with it — you’ll now find whole desserts built around yakgwa and ice cream.
Why is yakgwa suddenly everywhere?
If it’s a thousand-year-old cookie, why is it trending now? Two reasons: K-dramas (that tea-ceremony cookie the lead keeps snacking on is yakgwa) and Korea’s newtro (“new + retro”) wave, where young Koreans are rediscovering traditional foods and giving them a modern spin. Sales have surged, and cafes have reinvented it — most famously the yakgwa cookie, a hybrid that folds yakgwa’s syrupy, chewy character into a cafe cookie.
Where to buy yakgwa
You’ve got options depending on what you’re after:
- Supermarkets and convenience stores — the easiest. Packaged yakgwa is cheap and everywhere, and convenience stores now carry trendy yakgwa cookies too. Convenient, though usually the chewier style.
- Traditional market rice-cake shops (떡집) — my tip for the good stuff. Neighborhood tteok-jip often sell handmade yakgwa, and a well-made one is moist and soft in a way the packaged kind isn’t. Worth seeking out.
- Bakeries and cafes — for the modern yakgwa cookies and dessert versions. For yakgwa in its traditional form, a (traditional dessert cafe in Insadong) plates it with juak, yanggaeng and a pot of warm tea.
- Traditional sweets shops — for gift sets and regional specialties. In Daejeon, (Yenmatsomssi across from Sungsimdang) sells yakgwa in both the usual flower shape and a square, palace-style version.
- Department store food halls — for premium, gift-boxed yakgwa.
If you want yakgwa as a gift to take home, the packaged supermarket kind travels well — I’ve included it in my guide to the (best Korean snacks to bring home).
Verdict
So, what is yakgwa? It’s a thousand-year-old honey cookie that’s become one of Korea’s coolest modern desserts — sweet, chewy, fragrant with sesame and ginger, and endlessly reinvented in today’s cafes. Try it the classic way with tea, seek out a soft handmade one from a market rice-cake shop, and don’t leave without putting a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top at least once. If you’re stocking up on Korean treats, here’s where yakgwa fits among the (best snacks to bring home).
