The Official 'Number One' Korean Soul Food, Tteokbokki

"I want to die but I want to eat tteokbokki."

If you're someone interested in Korean literature, you've probably heard of this book at least once. Even if you're not interested in books, you might have heard about the word 'tteokbokki' from the title. Even if one wants to die or lacks the will to live, they still want to have tteokbokki. What on earth is tteokbokki!?

In 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seoul Metropolitan Government conducted a survey among 10,000 Koreans to find out 'what food consoles them the most'. Among ramyun, fried chicken, pork belly, and kimchi stew, tteokbokki ranked first.

In the survey where tteokbokki was chosen as the top 'consoling food', the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that "the majority of citizens who participated in this survey cited reasons such as 'because it's a dish which reminds me of my mother's cooking' or 'the taste from childhood when my mother used to make it'."

Let's explore what constitutes the 'Korean soul food' and what role tteokbokki plays at its core.

박희성 컨비니언

Tteokbokki is a combination of the word "tteok," meaning rice cake, and "bokki," meaning stir-fried dish. It literally means a dish where rice cakes are stir-fried.

In fact, the history of the "red tteokbokki" that we eat today isn't very long. The tteokbokki we consume these days was developed after the end of the Korean War in 1953.

The most popular red pepper paste-based tteokbokki we enjoy today was first introduced by Ma Bok-lim in 1953. Starting from the alleys of Sindang-dong, 'the red tteokbokki' became popular across South Korea.

Where the first 'red tteokbokki' was sold (Ma Bok-lim's restaurant)

Sindang-dong tteokbokki alley (The Seoul Research Data Service)

However, tteokbokki without red pepper paste existed for a long time. According to Seungjeongwon ilgi(Diaries of the Royal Secretariat), there is a record stating, "Sukbin Choi(淑嬪崔氏) liked obyeong(熬餠)" in which obyeong can be interpreted as tteokbokki from nowadays.

Tteokbokki also appears in cookbooks from the late Joseon Dynasty, but it's not the red pepper paste tteokbokki we eat now; it's tteokbokki seasoned with soy sauce, meat, and vegetables. Of course, this type of tteokbokki is still known as "Gungjung Tteokbokki" (Royal Tteokbokki). Nevertheless, what represents tteokbokki today is the red pepper paste tteokbokki developed by Ma Bok-lim, so her contribution to the world of tteokbokki is significant.

Gungjung Tteokbokki (지역N문화)

Tteokbokki isn't a complicated dish to prepare. Generally, it involves making a seasoning with gochujang (red pepper paste), gochugaru (red pepper flakes), starch syrup, soy sauce, etc., adding fish cakes, rice cakes for tteokbokki, various vegetables, and boiling them together. Therefore, it's a dish that can be made at home or in small restaurants without difficulty.

Gochujang

In the past, many vendors sold tteokbokki in front of schools. If you spent your school days in Korea, you must have tried tteokbokki at least once from a small store in front of your school. Having 500 won "cupbokki" (tteokbokki in a cup) with friends is a shared memory among Koreans. Nowadays, it's said that the number of snack bars in front of schools is gradually decreasing.

NEWS 1

Although there are no specific survey results, many people predict that it's due to the declining birth rate leading to fewer children in schools. In 2022, South Korea's birth rate was 0.78.

Of course, that doesn't mean tteokbokki is disappearing. Tteokbokki chain stores are popping up everywhere, and businesses targeting not only children but also adults are succeeding. The menu has also become increasingly diverse with items like cream tteokbokki, rose tteokbokki, twuimba tteokbokki, curry tteokbokki, jjajang tteokbokki, mala tteokbokki, buldak sauce tteokbokki, cheese tteokbokki, and rabokki (ramen & tteokbokki) etc.

Rabokki (Gettyimagebank)

삼첩분식

Jjajang tteokbokki (할머니가래떡볶이)

There are two main types of rice cakes used in tteokbokki: rice-rice cake and wheat-rice cake. In the past, rice was scarce and expensive, so wheat-rice cakes made from flour were used in tteokbokki. However nowadays, there isn't much price difference between the two types of rice cakes, so people choose rice cakes according to their preferences. Wheat rice cakes have soft texture and doesn't break apart even after long cooking. Tteokbokki sold at stalls or snack bars that are simmered for a long time mostly use wheat rice cakes. They also have the characteristic of absorbing seasoning well, resulting in a stronger flavor. On the other hand, rice-rice cakes have a chewy and sticky texture compared to wheat-rice cakes. Also, the soup doesn't penetrate well, making them suitable for thick, sticky sauces. They taste best when eaten immediately after cooking, so they are preferred for instant tteokbokki stores or homemade dishes.

Despite the emergence of numerous menus, there are certain aspects that remain unchanged in tteokbokki. The presence of rice cakes and the need for spiciness. Of course, the level of spiciness may vary depending on the menu, but as mentioned earlier, the basic prototype of the "tteokbokki with red pepper paste" developed by Ma Bok-lim is the basic form.

Koreans are crazy about spicy food. Especially when under stress, they'll definitely look for spicy food. In Korea, there is a formula where "stress relief" equals "spicy food". There is also a scientific reason for this. Eating capsaicin contained in spicy food causes the secretion of endorphins, which not only alleviate pain but also provide a certain level of pleasure. In fact, spiciness isn't a "flavor". Spiciness is a sensation of pain, but for Koreans, it has long been a part of their taste buds. (Of course, consuming spicy food too much isn't good for your stomach and overall health)

Korea is one of the top countries in the world that experiences the most stress. With high competitiveness, intense work culture, academic stress, job stress, parenting stress, etc., there are countless types of stress associated with the word "stress". So, it's not difficult to speculate why spicy food has become a soul food for Koreans.

Of course, leaving all this aside, tteokbokki is delicious. But when you realize that even this seemingly simple and common dish is imbued with history and stories, it can be more meaningful. If you visit Korea, I recommend trying tteokbokki. Nowadays, almost every tteokbokki restaurant has a "mild" option for those who can't eat spicy food. I consider this a positive development.

"I want to die but I want to eat tteokbokki."

Perhaps, just like the title of the book, 'death', 'stress', and 'tteokbokki' may not be that far apart. Maybe the desire to eat tteokbokki when someone feels hopeless and depressed, means that they are longing for the warm memories of their mother making it, or for the times they used to hang out with friends sharing a small cup of tteokbokki together. Whatever the case may be, tteokbokki will remain a soul food of Koreans for a long period of time.

We have the book "I want to die but I want to eat tteokbokki" on our website.

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