 An old woman looks at hanging dried persimmons in Namjang Village, Sangju City, North Gyeongsang Province. / Korea Times Photos by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
There is an old folk story that says even if a baby doesn't stop crying at the mention of a tiger, it stops when given a dried persimmon, which led the tiger that was eavesdropping outside to run away at the thought that the dried fruit was more threatening. The truth, however, was that the only thing threatening about dried persimmon is its killer sweetness.
The home base for dried persimmon is Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, the city that is the origin of the Nakdong River, and it is colored orange and red with persimmons at this time of the year. It is a busy time for the townspeople who are hard at work drying the juicy fruit. Considering that Sangju is responsible for 70 percent of the persimmon produced in the country, it is only natural that it is also a major producer of dried persimmon.
The process of producing the dried fruit is not simple, and requires a lot of work. First, ripe persimmons must be picked and their skin peeled off. The stem of the fruit is then tied with a thread and it is hung to dry, taking about 45 days to reach perfection. The persimmons can also be eaten in a half-dried state.
Apart from dried persimmon ― covered with white snow-like powder ― rice and silk are also well-known local products that are referred to as ``Sambaek (three whites).'' The three products will be packaged together with old folktales to create the ``2007 Sangju Nakdonggang Sambaek Festival,'' which runs until next Monday.
It will be a platform for children to experience a world of old folktales with tasty dried persimmons, while adults will be able to take a stroll down memory lane to their childhood days. For more information on the ``2007 Sangju Nakdonggang Sambaek Festival" visit www.sangjufestival.org or call (054)537-6102.
shim@koreatimes.co.kr
