Some years back, while exploring the grounds of the Jirye Art Village, I came across a bush of dark purple berries. Tempted to claim my first experience of blackberrying but uncertain if the berries were edible, I popped some into the pocket of a jacket borrowed from a friend. Meant to ask my host what the berries were called but forgot and later that day, was dismayed to find the berries creating a purple stain on the jacket. Fortunately, the laundry services took care of the problem and I was able to return the jacket to my friend with a fairly clear conscience.
As for confession number two, more recently, I downed FOUR glasses of bokbunja wine thanks to the generous sponsor at a dinner hosted by the Korean Tourism Organisation. While I cannot understand why Koreans are so fond of soju or makeolli, it’s easier for me to appreciate this deep red wine made from fermenting wild or cultivated black raspberries which go by the Latin name of ‘ Rubus Coreanus’.
The Korean name, Bokbunja –ju ( 복분자주 ) is more evocative – literally translated from Hanja, Bok (覆) means turning over, Bun (盆) means chamber pot and Ja (子) means man. So the name implies that any red-blooded male that drinks this will be virile enough to overturn or even break the piss pots, according to one legend, while urinating and presumably be strong enough to..ahem..keep the ajummas happy.
There are at least two versions of this legend.
The first one recounts the story of an old man who was looking for herbs in the mountains when his hunger pangs drove him to eat some mountain berries. When he returned home that night, he was surprised to find that his chamber pot overturn from the force of his stream of urine. Not long after, his elderly wife was even able to give birth to a child. The second tale also involves an elderly couple who had a sickly son. On the recommendation of a Buddhist monk, they gave him Bokbunja wine which proved to be effective in restoring his health.
The plant from the Rosaceae family which has its origins in China can now be found in Gochang County in Jeollabukdo, Damyang in Jeollanamdo, the foothills of Naejangsan & Daegwallyeong, Jeongeup and Jejudo. Sunchang Sannaedle Village which hosts the Bokbunja Harvest Festival from mid-June to July each year is another place where visitors can enjoy getting their mouths and hands stained purple from the juice of bokbunja berries. They’d have to be careful to avoid getting scratched while harvesting the ripened blackish-red berries from the thorny bushes.
The rewards are plentiful though. Historical texts such as Donguibogan and Dangbonboncho indicate bokbunja has been used as Oriental medicine. More recently, research shows this fruit is rich in calcium,
iron, malic acid and citric acid though it’s been described as an alkali food. Bokbunja has apparently more vitamin A and C than can be found in cherries and strawberries.
From one source: “Lee Kwang-keun, a professor of food engineering at Dongguk University, said… his team measured the capacity of bokbunja-ju from Gochang, North Jeolla Province to remove harmful active oxygen that damages cells and found that the black raspberry wine at a 1000 ppm concentration removes 76 percent of the active oxygen. That is roughly similar to red wine. The team said that if injected with bokbunja-ju or red wine, more than half of various human cancer cells no longer grew further, showing that both have effects of curbing proliferation of cancer cells. Bokbunja-ju sets various enzymes in motion and even leads cancer cells to kill themselves.
The outcome of the research was carried in the April 2009 issue of the Journal of the Science in Food and Agriculture. Lee said this was the first time research on the outstanding effects of bokbunja-ju has been published in a renowned international journal. The team is hoping to develop techniques to maximize antioxidant, anti-cancer capabilities of black raspberry wine in cooperation with the industry. “
The scientific interest isn’t simply confined to Korean researchers. Ohio State University has also published a study on the antioxidant and anticancer properties of the bokbunja. Other claims made include its ability to improve eyesight and memory AND to protect the liver and the hardening of the arteries.
But those who are already believers in the efficacy of bokbunja, can enjoy the fruits eaten fresh or as smoothies when the frozen fruits are mixed with milk or yogurt. There’s also bokbunja jam, tea, snacks and you can even add the juice to pasta dough to make your own pretty-in-purple noodles with their own distinctive fragrance.
Of course, nothing beats Bokbunja-ju ( wine). The deep red wine with a sweet, fruity flavour and alcohol content of about 15 -19%, is derived from the fermentation of berries in soju. It’s been claimed that the drink has been around for at least 1400 years and a popular drink for the villagers near Seonunsa Temple in Gochang, Jeollabukdo. The wine has won at least one award at international competitions ( such as the silver medal at 2005 Dallas Morning News International Wine Competition) and has been served during official dinners for the 2005 APEC summit. It is also now exported to countries like Canada, China, Japan, Singapore and the USA.
Right now, I'm thinking of getting a couple of bottles of bokbunja to share with family and friends to welcome in the new year.
sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokbunja_ju
http://www.koreansool.com/eng/main_data_02_07.asp
http://www.suite101.com/content/korean-alcoholic-beverages-a111376
http://english.bohae.co.kr/main.php?act=BOKBUNJAJOO&PG=A0201
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_3_2_4.jsp
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/04/21/2009042100410.html
http://www.invil.org/english/tourism/themeTour/experience/contents.jsp?con_no=372757&page_no=1
http://gochangbokbunja.en.ec21.com/
http://www.invil.org/english/speciality/fruit/others/contents.jsp?con_no=856152&page_no=1
http://www.invil.org/english/speciality/fruit/others/contents.jsp?con_no=853875&page_no=1
