Korean Banana Milk: The Soy Cult Drink

Banana milk is part of everyday life in Korea: it stands in the fridge of every convenience store and gets drunk with breakfast, in the afternoon or on the go on the train. Vegemil Banana is the soy version of this classic. The drink is based on soy, which makes it a plant-based, lactose-free alternative to classic cow's milk.

Soy drinks are no niche product in Korea but have long been a firm part of the drinks shelf: sweetened, flavored, in small single-serving packs. Drunk straight, this one is pleasantly sweet and mild, with a fine banana note tasting less like fresh fruit than like the banana milk of childhood. That comes across best well chilled, straight from the carton or poured over ice.

In the jjimjilbang, the Korean bathhouse, a sweet milk drink after the sauna round is almost part of the deal too. Banana milk counts among the drinks there that practically every generation knows. And when you are working your way through Korean snacks, something sweet to drink is the obvious addition, especially after something spicy.

The second way to drink it is the "Korean Banana Latte": you simply mix the soy drink with coffee. A shot of espresso or cold filter coffee is enough and you have a sweet milk coffee drink with banana flavor, in summer with ice, otherwise topped up with hot coffee. It also does well over cereal or in a shake with frozen fruit.

One pack holds 190 ml, one portion for in between. The format fits the lunch box, the backpack or the space next to the keyboard; you drink it straight from the carton or from a glass. For an afternoon in the park or a break between two appointments the amount is plenty.