What is Cheong?
FRUIT CHEONG is a Korean traditional way to preserve fruits and vegetables. It is a fruit or vegetable syrup, preserved in sugar or honey. Korea is known for the science of food fermentation. Even before artificial syrups, sweeteners, or food coloring, Korea has mastered the art of the aging process to preserve fruits and vegetables and extract juice from them. Traditionally, Cheong was used to have fruits and vegetables year-round for tea and medicine.
When fruits and vegetables are soaked in sugar, the enzymes and microorganisms in the ingredients react with sugar to extract their juice. Most people commonly know that pickle is made by brining cucumbers in salt water. For CHEONG, instead of salt, sugar is used and you may consume fruit or vegetables as a pulp and juice as syrup.
Cheong is ALL Natural. No artificial ingredients or preservatives are used. It is made with premium fruits and vegetables to create the enriching flavorful fruit and vegetable syrup.
Different Stages and Flavors
Generally, most Cheong takes 2 to 3 days after the day of making it to use. Initially, the fruits or vegetables do not age well so their syrups are not concentrated. As the aging process happens with time, fruit or vegetables release their juice into syrup and it starts to become concentrated and the color turns dark. Syrup at this stage is very fragrant and deep in flavor. On the other hand, as fruits or vegetables lose their juice to the syrup, they become smaller, fibrous, and chewy.