Colorful Porridge

[Anchor Lead]

Wednesday December 21st is the winter solstice and the longest night of the year. Koreans traditionally eat a particular food on this day, adzuki-bean porridge. These days the porridge is sporting a range of colors due to newly developed domestic adzuki beans.

[Pkg]

On the day of the winter solstice, customers line up to participate in the tradition of eating red-bean porridge, or 'patjuk.'

[Soundbite] Choi Hyeon-nam(Customer) : "I came to have red-bean porridge to replenish my energy.We're also getting close to the winter solstice."

The Rural Development Administration has unveiled a recently developed domestic variant of the red bean named the "white bead," which is as white as its name implies. Unlike the common red beans, the white beans have a soft and moist skin. This allows for easier processing of the beans to make porridge or bean jelly. The administration has also developed a black variant of red beans which contains 30 percent more antioxidants, as well as a green variant which is easier to grow.

[Soundbite] Seo Jeom-ok(CEO, Porridge Restaurant) : "Red beans were preferred in the past.Now, I think customers will enjoy the variety of colors."

The small rice balls that are laid on top of the red bean porridge are now made with healthier germinated brown rice which is known to help prevent cancer.

[Soundbite] Oh In-seok(Rural Development Administration) : "Among grains, red bean has the highest vitamin B content.It's also rich in dietary fiber and potassium."

The Rural Development Administration aims to further distribute variations of quality domestic red beans in many different colors to cater to consumer tastes, in order to boost the beans' self-sufficiency rate.