I’ve always translated gon-bbang 건빵 as hardtack and I’ve always thought of it only in terms of being made from plain barley, but this product set me straight.
The product name is Gomun Kong GonBbang, which the English sticker label translates as Black Bean Cookie. No matter that it was the squarish shape of regular hardtack. I guess by now I should know that when a Korean manufacturer says “Cookie” it means, hmmm, any Western-style baked product? Gwaja in general?
Ingredients: wheat flour, sugar, palm oil, corn starch, black-bean powder, salt, black sesame. The actual black-bean content is 0.5%.
Nutrition Facts: Serving size 33 grams. 3 servings per 3.5-ounce bag. Each serving contains 136 calories, 18 from fat. Total Fat 2 grams. Saturated Fat 1 gram. No Trans Fat. No cholesterol. Sodium 74 milligrams. Total Carbohydrates 25 grams. No fiber. Sugars 5 grams. Protein 4 grams.
Suggested retail price is 1200 won in South Korea. I don’t remember what I paid for it but it must have been under a dollar.
UPC bar code number 8 804782 005497. The manufacturer is Cheju Nongyeon, and the importer is Purunchon of 3435 Wilshire Blvd., #122, Los Angeles, CA 90010.
Tasted like plain hardtack… You eat it to satiate the munchies.
