National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Myeoncheon Dugyeonju refers to good-smelling liquor made in Myeoncheon-myeon, Dangjin-gun, Chungcheongnam-do. The name Dugyeon was attached to it, as azalea petals (dugyeonhwa in Korean) are used in making it. A legend links this liquor with Bok Ji-gyeom, who helped Wang Geon (King Taejo) found the Goryeo Dynasty (877-1394). The king came down with a serious illness. The family tried many medications for him to no avail. His young daughter started praying for her father’s recovery at Amisan Mountain. On the 100th day, a mountain deity appeared and told her to make liquor using the full-blown azaleas that grew on Amisan and the water of the Ansaem Well (a well behind present-day Myeoncheon Elementary School), let her father drink it 100 days later, and then plant two gingko trees in the courtyard of her house. She followed the instructions and her father recovered from his illness. The liquor is viscous, light yellowish brown in color, and tastes sweet. The azalea fragrance from it is pleasant and it has no reek of yeast. Its alcohol level is 42 proof. It improves blood circulation, helps recovery from fatigue, and lowers cholesterol level. Stamens and pistils of azalea flower have some toxicity, and thus one should take care not to let them get mixed in the making of the liquor.

The uniqueness of Nasi Kerabu lies in the bluish colour of the rice. This is the result of the petals of bunga telang, or its scientific name Clitoria Ternatea, being cooked together with the rice. Thus there are many variations of this rice according to its colour like Yellow Kerabu Rice (Nasi Kerabu Kuning), White Kerabu Rice (Nasi Kerabu Putih), Black Kerabu Rice (Nasi Kerabu Hitam), and Blue Kerabu Rice (Nasi Kerabu Biru). This traditional food is normally served together with dried fish, fried chicken, grilled meat, salted egg, cracker, budu (fermented shrimp), as well as raw vegetables and herbs like cabbage, cucumber, long beans, kesum leaf and ginger flower.