Tteokbokki (떡볶이)
One constant component between any culture is food! Everybody no matter where they come from or what culture(s) they are a part of need to eat food. Each culture develops its own traditional plates that become a staple of their culture and country. When people think of Korean food most people would think of kimchi or maybe even bibimbap but I want to put the spotlight on a dish called Tteokbokki (also spelled Ddukbokki). Tteokbokki is a stir-fried rice cake dish that is usually spicy and covered in spicy red chili sauce. This dish is often sold by street vendors (pojangmacha).
[Tteokbokki dish. (Image source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/92394229842149510/)]
I originally heard about this dish from my language partner, Jannette! This was during our first meeting when we spent about half an hour talking about culture. She got so excited when she told me about this dish and we both looked it up together. I think this is a good example of culture and something that is important to a culture when it leaves such a big impact on someone’s life and provides a lot of nostalgia and connection to one’s culture.
Tteokbokki first appeared in a 19th-century cookbook called Siuijeonseo (시의정서). This was during the Joseon dynasty. Interestingly, Tteokbokki was also listed in a medical book called Shingnyo chanyo (식료찬요) as a food that could help cure people through food. There are also different types of Tteokbokki. During the Joseon dynasty, Tteokbokki was served in the Korean royal court but the original dish was brown and plain, unlike the modern Tteokbokki which is red and spicy. The special royal court version was called gungjung tteokbokki (궁정 떡볶이). This was an interesting fact to me as cuisine can be very telling for a culture. There is a lot of history and information in what kind of food certain social classes consume. Only the royal court during the Joseon dynasty had the plain Tteokbokki while the people of Korea ate the red and spicy Tteokbokki.
Almost every article and website I consulted listed Tteokbokki as a must-have food when visiting Korea. Food is intimately connected to culture as it serves as an identifier of culture and is an outward expression of each culture. Tteokbokki is also very typical of Korean food which usually includes some type of rice. This dish really provides an insight into Korean culture and dining. Jannette, Priyanka, and I talked about getting a Korean meal together or perhaps we could even try to cook Tteokbokki! I was glad to read about the food of my target language’s culture.
Here is a recipe I found for Tteokbokki:
1 pound tteokbokki tteok 떡볶이 떡 (about 24 3-inch long rice cake pieces)
1 sheet eomuk 어묵 fish cake - aka oden
4 ounces green cabbage yangbaechu, 양배추
1 - 2 scallions
3 cups anchovy broth or water
3 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper paste gochujang, 고추장 - see note)
1 - 3 teaspoons Korean red chili pepper flakes gochugaru, 고추가루 preferably finely ground) - see note
1 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar (or use 1 tablespoon if you like it less sweet)
1 tablespoon corn syrup or 1 more tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
(Source: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/tteokbokki-spicy-stir-fried-rice-cakes/)
[Korean street food market. (Image source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/197947346096035351/)]
Sources:
http://maithakoreanfood.blogspot.com/2013/02/tteokbokki.html
Replies
Hi Mallory! 떡볶이 is definitely one of my favorite Korean food! I will definitely try to recreate this at !
Hi Mallory, I was so excited to read your post about 떡볶이 as it is a staple in Korean food and one of my favorite dishes. It is so popular and there are so many varieties in Korea. They can be served in restaurants and even through street food which is something that is popular as well! It is so different and so spicy and savory. One thing I like to do when making 떡볶이 is adding only the ramen noodles into it so I can get some noodles with the spicy flavor as well and eat more of the tasty dish.
Hi Mallory,
I would always order Tteokbokki whenever I visit a Korean place and I've been trying to make them myself. It's great to learn about Tteokbokki's origin and how it got evolved to what it is today. Thank you for sharing this!
Hi Mallory! I’m really glad that you talked about 떡볶이 because it’s one of my favorite foods! There is also a variation on this dish! It’s called 짜장볶이 and it’s a black colored rice cake. Do you know the dish 짜장면? (jjajangmyun- which is the black soybean noodle)! It is the same sauce, and many people who can’t eat spicy foods will eat this sweeter version instead!
Mallory,
After reading the artifact post, my first feeling was that I needed to get a snack. Tteokbokki looks so yummy! It can often be so easy to get wrapped up in your own culture that you forgot the beauty, and diversity that exists within other cultures. Thank you for sharing such an appetizing post!