As an alternative to drinking poisonous tap water, many people in Korea (apparently 50% of Koreans) drink roasted
barley tea (I wonder what the other %50 are drinking...). This tea is prepared by boiling water (which isn't enough to get rid of the evil spirits in non-potable water) and then mixed with roasted barley (which you can buy at the local Korean market). This process creates a light drink that has a mild taste of roasted barley. It can be drunken hot or cold.
This type of tea is especially good to accompany meals (note: most Korean dishes are spicy) as it relieves indigestion and constipation. Roasted barley tea is known as bori-cha in Korean.
Here's a recipe:
- 1½ table spoon of roasted barley
- 8 cups of boiled water
You can also add 1½ table spoon of roasted corn to make
Bori Oksusu Cha (Roasted corn and barley tea).