Korean green-plum syrup diluted with hot or cold water — sweet-tart, made by macerating unripe maesil (Prunus mume) in equal-weight sugar for 100 days.
The Korean home maesil-cheong (plum syrup) tradition tracks the late-spring maesil harvest in Gwangyang, South Jeolla — Korea's main plum-growing region since the 1970s when Hong Ssang-ri planted the first commercial orchard there. Most Korean homes still make a year's batch in May-June.
Korean food writer Maangchi's home recipe (2011) put maesil-cheong into the English-speaking diaspora; Gwangyang's annual Maehwa Festival in March draws over a million visitors. Ripe yellow maesil makes jam — only green ones make the syrup.
The diluted drink is pale yellow-amber, almost still, sweet-tart with a subtle almond top note from the unripe pit. Hot in winter, cold over ice in summer. Not aggressively sour — the long sugar cure rounds the acid.
Equal-weight unripe maesil and white sugar in a sterilized jar, no water added. Osmotic pressure draws plum juice out, sugar dissolves into syrup over 100 days at room temp. After 100 days the plums are removed — leaving them longer turns the syrup bitter.
Variations
Hadong-style adds licorice root for depth; Jeolla home cooks layer with pine honey instead of cane sugar; the modern bottled version (Damtuh, since 1989) uses citric acid to fast-track the cure.
On the Palate
Where Maesil-cha sits in the Korean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 1How it's made
4 steps · 42 min active + 100 days waiting
- 130 min
Wash and dry 1 kg unripe green maesil plums.
Watch outDry every plum bone-dry before it goes in — one drop of water on the skin can seed mold in the jar.
- 210 min
Layer plums with 1 kg sugar in a large glass jar (equal weight 1:1).
- 3144000 min
Seal; macerate at cool dark room 100 days, shaking weekly.
Watch outShake weekly so undissolved sugar doesn't cake at the bottom and the plums bathe evenly in the drawing syrup.
- 42 min
Strain syrup; dilute 1 part syrup to 5 parts water or sparkling water; serve hot or cold.
Watch outStrain the plums out right at 100 days — leave them longer and the syrup turns bitter from the pits.
