The Difference Between Sikhye and Gamju: All About the Sweet Confusion

A 1,500-Year History and Cultural Story Contained in a Single Drink

• The fundamental differences between sikhye and traditional gamju (ingredients and principles)
• The decisive historical background behind the interchangeable use of their names
• The remarkable wisdom of our ancestors embedded in the names

Prologue: The Never-Ending Sweet Confusion

Have you ever ordered a cold sikhye at a restaurant and heard an elderly person at the next table shout, “Give me a bowl of gamju here!”? If you’ve wondered about the difference between sikhye and gamju but couldn’t find a clear answer, you are standing right in the middle of a centuries-old sweet confusion.

Today, many people think sikhye and gamju are the same drink, but in fact, they are fundamentally different from the start. Traditionally, gamju (甘酒) is a low-alcohol “sweet liquor” brewed using rice and ‘nuruk’ (a fermentation starter). In contrast, sikhye (食醯) is a non-alcoholic “sweet beverage” made by saccharifying cooked rice with malted barley.

So how did two completely different drinks come to be called by the same name? To find the answer, let’s embark on a journey through time.

Core Differences Between Sikhye and Traditional Gamju

Sacred Drink of Ancient Kingdoms: Gamju

Our journey begins about 1,500 years ago in the pages of the “Samguk Yusa” (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms). The “Garakgukgi” section contains the founding myth of Gaya, recording that the founder King Suro’s ancestral rites included offerings of “alcohol, gamju, rice cakes, rice, tea, and fruit.”

The key word here is ‘gamju.’ Some original texts write it as ‘예(醴),’ meaning a sweet liquor that ferments overnight, i.e., a ‘sweet liquor.’ This strongly suggests a form closer to the alcoholic traditional gamju. Gamju first appears in history not as an ordinary meal but as a sacred offering to the nation’s founder.

One Name, Two Recipes: Records from the Joseon Dynasty

As time passed into the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, our sweet drinks were recorded in more specific forms. Especially, Joseon-era cookbooks reveal a decisive moment when two different paths diverged under the single name ‘gamju.’

At the Crossroads: Two Types of Gamju in “Sanga Yorok”

In the mid-15th century, the royal physician Jeon Sun-ui wrote the cookbook “Sanga Yorok,” which surprisingly records two completely different recipes both called ‘gamju.’

1. A drink made with malted barley, similar to today’s sikhye
2. A sweet alcoholic beverage made with nuruk powder

Here lies the historical crossroads. In 15th-century Joseon, ‘gamju’ was not a proper noun for a specific drink but a broad term for fermented rice-based sweet beverages.

Noble Secrets and Common Knowledge

In the 17th century, the Andong Jang family’s “Eumsik Dimibang” includes a gamju called ‘jeomgamju (粘甘酒),’ whose key ingredient is nuruk. This shows that the tradition of nuruk-based gamju was firmly maintained in aristocratic households.

Moving to the 19th century, the “Gyuhap Chongseo” by Lee Bingheogak finally records a recipe almost identical to today’s sikhye under the name ‘sikhye.’ This means the non-alcoholic malted barley drink was fully established as a distinct name by the 19th century.

A Decisive Event: King Yeongjo’s Liquor Ban Changed Their Fate

King Yeongjo, who reigned the longest in Joseon’s 500-year history, issued a strict liquor ban that caused a huge impact on the history of sikhye and gamju.

In 1756, to prevent grain waste during famine, Yeongjo banned the production and consumption of alcohol nationwide. With brewing forbidden by law, it became difficult to prepare the ‘sweet liquor (단술)’ for ancestral rites.

At this point, the non-alcoholic malted barley drink ‘sikhye’ emerged prominently on the historical stage. Since sikhye is not alcohol, it was exempt from the ban, yet sweet enough to be called ‘sweet liquor’ and fermented enough to be a perfect substitute for alcohol. As sikhye replaced traditional gamju on ancestral tables, people naturally began calling this drink by the original name, ‘gamju (甘酒).’ This tendency was especially strong in regions like Gyeongsang Province, where even today sikhye is often called gamju.

The Hidden Secret in the Name: Why Does Sikhye (食醯) Use the Character for Vinegar ‘Hye (醯)’?

Sometimes, a name holds the essence and history of its subject. Gamju (甘酒) uses the characters for ‘sweet (甘)’ and ‘alcohol (酒),’ clearly showing its identity as a sweet alcoholic drink.

The puzzle lies with sikhye (食醯). It uses the character for ‘eat (食)’ and surprisingly, the character for ‘vinegar (醯).’ Why would a sweet drink be named with the character for sour vinegar?

The key to this mystery is the common process of fermentation. Alcohol and vinegar are part of the same fermentation family. Our ancestors noted that although sikhye is not alcohol, it involves ‘fermenting (saccharifying)’ rice with malted barley. Thus, the character ‘hye (醯)’ symbolizes not the taste but the principle of fermentation. Also, describing it as something to ‘eat (食)’ rather than just drink highlights its identity as a food enjoyed with floating rice grains.

Conclusion

From the ancestral rites of the Gaya kingdom, through the Joseon liquor ban, to our modern tables, the story of sikhye and gamju is more than just about drinks—it is an epic of our nation’s wisdom and history.

Three Key Takeaways:

1. Fundamental Difference: Sikhye is a non-alcoholic drink made from malted barley, while traditional gamju is a low-alcohol liquor brewed with nuruk.
2. History of Name Confusion: The culture of calling sikhye ‘gamju’ began when sikhye replaced alcohol on ancestral tables due to King Yeongjo’s liquor ban.
3. Meaning Behind the Name: The ‘hye (醯)’ in sikhye (食醯) symbolizes the fermentation principle of ‘souring’ rice, reflecting our ancestors’ wisdom rather than the taste of vinegar.

So next time someone says, “That gamju looks refreshing,” when seeing sikhye, you can just smile and say, “That story is very long and very interesting.”