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Dish guide · Drinks

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Ssanghwa-cha

쌍화차

Korean herbal tea

♨️ Served hot🙂 Not spicy🥬 Vegetarian versions exist: ask

A dark, slightly bitter and sweet herbal tea with no tea leaves in it, made from roots and bark. It's closely tied to Korea's old-style dabang tearooms.

What it is

  • It's brewed from herbs such as white peony root, angelica, cinnamon and licorice, then sweetened.
  • Old tearooms often top it with pine nuts, walnuts and jujube, and sometimes float a raw egg yolk in it.

How to eat it

  1. 1Sip it slowly while it's hot, using the spoon to eat the nuts and fruit. Tell them if you don't want the egg yolk.

History

  • Ssanghwa-tang began as a traditional herbal remedy. It was a dabang favorite from the 1930s to the 1980s, and the egg yolk was a treat in an era when eggs were expensive. Any health effects are tradition, not proven fact.

Allergies and diet

Usually contains

tree nutsegg
  • Nuts and egg yolk are common toppings.
  • Herbal tea may not suit you if you're pregnant or on medication. Ask a doctor.

Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.

🗣️ Allergy card for the staff

Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.

📍 Where to try it

Sources

We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-31.