''Tteok'' () is a general term for

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

rice cake A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include ...

s. They are made with steamed

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

of various grains, especially

glutinous Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals. Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also have ...

and non-glutinous

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. Steamed flour can also be pounded, shaped, or pan-fried to make ''tteok''. In some cases, ''tteok'' is pounded from cooked grains. ''Tteok'' is eaten not only as a dessert or seasonal delicacy, but also as a meal. It can range from elaborate versions made of various colors, fragrances, and shapes using nuts, fruits, flowers, and ''namul'' (herbs/wild greens), to plain white rice ''tteok'' used in home cooking. Some common ingredients for many kinds of ''tteok'' are

red bean Red bean is a common name for several varieties of beans and plants and may refer to: * ''Small red beans'', also known as "Mexican red beans," "Central American red beans," and "New Orleans red beans" * Adzuki bean (''Vigna angularis''), commonly ...

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source o ...

mung bean The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts P ...

mugwort Mugwort is a common name for several species of aromatic flowering plants in the genus '' Artemisia.'' In Europe, mugwort most often refers to the species '' Artemisia vulgaris'', or common mugwort. In East Asia the species '' Artemisia argyi'' ...

pumpkin A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

pine nut Pine nuts, also called piñón (), pinoli (), or pignoli, are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus''). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are traded locall ...

jujube Jujube (UK ; US or ), sometimes jujuba, scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'', and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus '' Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. It is often confused wit ...

, dried fruits,

sesame Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for ...

seeds and oil, and

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

. ''Tteok'' is usually shared. ''Tteok'' offered to spirits is called ''boktteok'' ("

good fortune Good Fortune may refer to: * ''Good Fortune'' (film), a film by Aziz Ansari * "Good Fortune" (song), a song by PJ Harvey * ''Good Fortune'' (Brotherhood of Man album) * ''Good Fortune'' (78 Saab album) See also * Good fortune, the concept ...

rice cake") and shared with neighbours and relatives. It is also one of the celebratory foods used in banquets, rites, and various festive events. ''

Tteokguk Tteokguk * () or sliced rice cake soup is a traditional Korean dish eaten during the celebration of the Korean New Year. The dish consists of broth/soup (''guk'') with thinly sliced rice cakes (''tteok''). Eating ''tteokguk'' on New Year's Day ...

'' ("rice cake soup") is shared to celebrate

Korean New Year () is a Korean traditional festival and national holiday commemorating the first day of the Korean calendar, Korean lunisolar calendar. It is one of the most important traditional holidays for Koreans, ethnic Koreans, being celebrated in bot ...

and ''

songpyeon ''Songpyeon'' () is a traditional Korean food made of rice powder. Its shape resembles a half moon and it is a representative rice cake of Korean holidays and traditional culture. It is a type of ''tteok'', small rice cakes, and variety of filli ...

'' is shared on

Chuseok Chuseok (; , ), also known as Hangawi (; ; from Old Korean, "the great middle f autumn), is a major mid-autumn harvest festival and a three-day holiday in South Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunisolar calendar on the ...

, a harvest festival.

History

The history of rice cakes goes back to primitive agricultural society. It is presumed that it is because at least about the 7th to 8th centuries B.C., there are records of sowing seeds and plowing and farming in this land, or because almost all of them are found in the ruins like ''galdol'' (a flat stone used as a tool when grinding fruit against a grind stone) or ''dolhwag'' (a small mortar made of stone) of that period. The origin of rice cakes began in prehistoric times when the coarse flour obtained from the primitive threshing process of mixed grains was baked or pan-fried without the use of cooking utensils.

Utensils for making ''tteok''

Below are cooking utensils used to make ''tteok'' in the traditional Korean way. * ''Ki'' (),

winnowing basket A winnowing basket or fan is a tool for winnowing grain from chaff while removing dirt and dust too. They have been used traditionally in a number of civilizations for centuries, and are still in use today in some countries. Use Unprocessed g ...

* ''Inambak'' (), rice-washing bowl * ''Bagaji'' (), gourd-like dipper * ''Ongbaegi'' () and ''jabaegi'' (), large, round pottery bowls * ''Che'' () and ''chetdari'' (), sieve and sieve-frame legs * ''Maetdol'' (), grinding stone * ''

Jeolgu ''Jeolgu'' () and ''gongi'' () are a type of traditional Korean mortar and pestle set, used for pounding grains or '' tteok'' (rice cake). They can be made with timber, stone, or iron. ''Jeolgu'' is a bowl-shaped vessel in which grains or ''t ...

'' () and ''jeolgutgongi'' (),

mortar and pestle A mortar and pestle is a set of two simple tools used to prepare ingredients or substances by compression (physics), crushing and shear force, grinding them into a fine Paste (rheology), paste or powder in the kitchen, laboratory, and pharmacy. ...

* '' Anban'' () and ''tteokme'' (), wooden pounding board and

mallet A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. General overview The term is descriptive of the ...

* ''

Siru ''Siru'' () is an earthenware steamer used to steam grain or grain flour dishes such as ''tteok'' (rice cakes), most notably ''siru-tteok''. The ''siru'' is an earthenware steaming vessel that dates back to the late bronze age of the Korean no ...

'' () and ''sirumit'' (), earthenware steamer and mat placed in the bottom of it * '' Sot'' () and ''geonggeure'' (),

cauldron A cauldron (or caldron) is a large cookware and bakeware, pot (kettle) for cooking or boiling over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron lore in r ...

and steaming rack * ''Beoncheol'' (), thick frying pan * ''Chaeban'' (), wicker tray * ''Tteoksal'' (), wooden ''tteok'' pattern stamp

Types

''Tteok'' is largely divided into four categories: steamed ''tteok'' (), pounded ''tteok'' (), boiled ''tteok'' () and pan-fried ''tteok'' (). The steamed ''tteok'' is made by steaming rice or

glutinous rice Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals. Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...

flour in a ''siru'' (), a large

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed Vitrification#Ceramics, nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids ...

steamer, so it is often called ''sirutteok'' (). It is regarded as the basic and oldest form of ''tteok''. Pounded ''tteok'' is made by using a pounding board or mortar after steaming it first. In making pan-fried ''tteok'', the rice dough is flattened like a

pancake A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based Batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a ...

and pan-fried with vegetable oil. Shaped ''tteok'' are made by kneading dough with hot water, then shaping it into balls.

Steamed tteok

The main ingredients for steamed ''tteok'' or '' sirutteok'' are

(멥쌀, ''mebssal'' in Korean) or

(찹쌀 ''chapssal''), and sometimes they are mixed together. In some cases, other grains, beans (

azuki bean ''Vigna angularis'', also known as the , azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately long) bean. The cultivars most familiar in East Asia have a un ...

s or

s),

seeds,

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of common wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ...

, or

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

are mixed with the rice. Various

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

s and nuts are used as subsidiary ingredients, such as

persimmon The persimmon () is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus '' Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Chinese and Japanese kaki persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki''. In 2022, China produced 77% of the world's p ...

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

es or

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

s, and

s. In addition, marinated vegetables or herbs can be used to flavor the ''tteok''. ''Danggwi'' leaves ('' Ostericum grosseserratum''), '' seogi'' mushroom (manna

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

radish The radish (''Raphanus sativus'') is a flowering plant in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. Its large taproot is commonly used as a root vegetable, although the entire plant is edible and its leaves are sometimes used as a leaf vegetable. Origina ...

, artemisia,

pepper Pepper(s) may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plants ** Black pepper ** Long pepper ** Kampot pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanacea ...

, and ''

cheongju Cheongju (; ) is the capital and largest list of cities in South Korea, city of North Chungcheong Province in South Korea. The 'Cheong' in the name of Chungcheong Province is the Cheong of Cheongju. History Cheongju has been an important prov ...

'' are the most common flavorings, and honey and sugar are used as

sweeteners A sweetener is a substance added to food or drink to impart the flavor of sweetness, either because it contains a type of sugar, or because it contains a sweet-tasting sugar substitute. Various natural non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) and artificial s ...

. In order to make steamed ''tteok'' or ''sirutteok'', rice or glutinous rice is soaked in water for a while, then ground. The prepared rice flour is put in a ''siru'' and steamed. According to steaming method, ''sirutteok'' is subdivided into two groups: ''seolgitteok'' (), which is shaped into a single large lump, and ''kyeotteok'' (), which consists of multiple layers with

adzuki bean ''Vigna angularis'', also known as the , azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an Annual plant, annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately long) bean. The cultivars most familiar in East A ...

powder or other bean powder. ''Seolgitteok'' is also called ''muritteok'' (), which is regarded as the most basic form of ''sirutteok'' because it is made only of rice. When making ''kyeotteok'', rice and glutinous rice are mixed. The name ''kyeotteok'' derives from the adverb ''kyeokeyo'' (켜켜, literally "layered") in Korean because this ''tteok'' is made in layers. *'' Baekseolgi'' () - a variety of ''sirutteok''. It literally means white snow ''tteok'' and is made of white rice. *''Kongtteok'' () - ''tteok'' made with various kinds of beans *'' Jeungpyeon'' () or '' sultteok'' ()- ''tteok'' made with ''

makgeolli ''Makgeolli'' (), sometimes anglicized to makkoli (, ), is a Korean alcoholic drinks, Korean alcoholic drink. It is a milky, off-white, and lightly sparkling rice wine that has a slight viscosity, and tastes slightly sweet, tangy, bitter, and astr ...

'' (unfiltered rice wine) *'' Mujigae tteok'' () - literally "rainbow ''tteok''"; this variety of ''tteok'' has colorful stripes. The ''tteok'' is used especially for ''janchi'' (), a Korean banquet, party, or feast such as ''dol'' (celebrating a baby's first birthday), ''

Hwangap In the Sinosphere, one's sixtieth birthday has traditionally held special significance. Especially when life expectancies were shorter, the sixtieth birthday was seen as a symbolic threshold for reaching old age and having lived a full life. Th ...

'' (celebrating a 60th birthday), or ''gyeolhon janchi'' (wedding party)

Pounded tteok

In traditional preparations, pounded ''tteok'' is made by pounding rice or glutinous rice with utensils called ''

jeolgu ''Jeolgu'' () and ''gongi'' () are a type of traditional Korean mortar and pestle set, used for pounding grains or '' tteok'' (rice cake). They can be made with timber, stone, or iron. ''Jeolgu'' is a bowl-shaped vessel in which grains or ''t ...

'' and ''jeolgutgongi'' or ''tteokme'' and ''anban''. ''

Injeolmi ''Injeolmi'' (, ) is a variety of ''tteok'', or Korean rice cake, made by steaming and pounding glutinous rice flour, which is shaped into small pieces and usually covered with steamed powdered dried beans or other ingredients. It is a represent ...

'' (''tteok'' coated with adzuki bean powder or roasted soybean powder), '' garaetteok'' (가래떡 cylinder-shaped white tteok), '' jeolpyeon'' (절편 patterned tteok) and '' danja'' (단자 glutinous tteok ball coated with bean paste)" are the most commonly eaten pounded ''tteok''. Rice and glutinous rice are hulled to make grain particles or powder and then steamed in a ''siru'' (earthenware steamer) and pounded with utensils. The pounded tteok is divided by rice type into glutinous pounded tteok (찹쌀도병 ''chapssal dobyeong'') and non-glutinous pounded ''tteok'' (맵쌀도병 ''mapssal dobyeong''). ''Injeolmi'', a representative of glutinous pounded tteok, varies in accordance with ''

gomul ''Gomul'' () refers to a number of powdered coatings, toppings, fillings, or dips in Korean cuisine. Uses ''Gomul'' is used to improve the appearance and taste of ''tteok'' (rice cake), including '' injeolmi'', '' danja'', and '' gyeongdan'', a ...

'' types (고물, coating made with bean powder, sesame seeds, or sliced jujubes) or subsidiary ingredients mixed into the

steamed rice Cooked rice refers to rice that has been cooked either by steaming or boiling. The terms steamed rice or boiled rice are also commonly used. Any variant of Asian rice (both indica and japonica varieties), African rice or wild rice, glutino ...

while pounding on the ''anban''. ''Patinjeolmi'' (), and ''kkaeinjeolmi'' () are examples for the former, coated with red bean powder and sesame, respectively. In ''ssuk injeolmi'' () and ''surichwi injeolmi'' (), ''ssuk'' ( Artemisia indica) and ''surichwi'' ( ''Synurus deltoides'' (AIT.) NAKAI) are added. *''

Garae-tteok ''Garae-tteok'' () is a long, cylindrical ''tteok'' (rice cake) made with non-glutinous rice flour. Grilled ''garae-tteok'' is sometimes sold as street food. Thinly (and usually diagonally) sliced ''garae-tteok'' is used for making ''tteokguk'' ( ...

'' (가래떡; also called ''huin tteok'', 흰떡, literally "white tteok") – ''tteok'' formed into a long white cylinder. The thinly sliced ''garae tteok'' is used for making '' tteok guk''. *'' Omegi tteok'' () – traditional ''tteok'' of

Jeju Island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

, the biggest island in Korea

Shaped ''tteok''

*''Ggul tteok'' () - literally means "tteok with honey" but the ''tteok'' is stuffed with Korean syrup. ''Ggul tteok'' is similar to ''

'' in shape, but smaller in size *''

Songpyeon ''Songpyeon'' () is a traditional Korean food made of rice powder. Its shape resembles a half moon and it is a representative rice cake of Korean holidays and traditional culture. It is a type of ''tteok'', small rice cakes, and variety of filli ...

'' () - eaten during

holiday (), Korean thanksgiving day *''Gochitteok'' () *''Ssamtteok'' () - ''tteok'' used for ''ssam'' (쌈, food wrapped in a leaf) *''Dalgal tteok'' () - named after ''dalgal'' (달걀 or 계란 egg) *''

Gyeongdan ''Gyeongdan'' () or Korean rice ball cake is a type of ''tteok'' (rice cake) made of glutinous rice or other glutinous cereal flours. When the cereal other than rice is used, its name is usually specified, making compound nouns such as ''susugye ...

'' - Inside these rice balls are usually red bean or sesame paste. The balls are usually dipped and covered in black sesame or other powders. *'' Bupyeon'', consisting of dough made of

flour with a sweet filling and coated in ''

'' (powdered beans).

Pan-fried ''tteok''

*''

Hwajeon ''Hwajeon'', kkotbukkumi, kkotjijimi, () or flower cake is a small Korean pan-fried rice cake. It is made out of glutinous rice flour, honey and edible petals from seasonal flowers, such as rhododendron. It is eaten during the festivals of S ...

'' - small, sweet pancakes made of flour of glutinous rice and decorated with flower petals of the Korean

azalea Azaleas ( ) are flowering shrubs in the genus ''Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections ''Rhododendron sect. Tsutsusi, Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and ''Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate ...

chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...

, or rose. *'' Bukkumi'' (), pan-fried sweet ''tteok'' with various fillings in a

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...

shape *''Juak'' (), made of

flour and stuffed with fillings such as

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

s, and

s, and pan-fried. ''Juak'' are colored with natural coloring and covered with sugar or coated in honey.

Other varieties

*''Ssuk tteok'' () *''Gaksaek pyeon'' ()

Gallery

File:Tteokbokki.JPG,

Tteokbokki () or simmered rice cake, is a popular Korean food made from small-sized (long, white, cylinder-shaped rice cakes) called () or commonly (). * ''Eomuk'' (fish cakes), boiled eggs, and scallions are some common ingredients paired with ''tteo ...

Image:Korean.dessert-Tteok-Songpyeon-Kkultteok.01.jpg, ''Kkul-tteok'' Image:Korea-Sokcho-2007 Seorak Festival-06.jpg, ''

'' Image:Korean.Folk.Village-Minsokchon-25.jpg, ''Siru'' in front and other ''onggi'' (generic term for earthenware) Image:Korea-Seoul-Insadong-Pounding tteok-02.jpg, Pounding ''tteok'' Image: Sirutteok.jpg, ''Pat sirutteok'', steamed ''sirutteok'' topped with

s Image:Hobakseolgitteok (pumpkin seolgi tteok).jpg, ''Hobak seolgitteok'', steamed ''seolgitteok'' made with

s Image:Sultteok.jpg, Sultteok File:Rice cake ball.jpg, Rice cake ball

Dishes made with ''tteok''

*'' Tteok guk'' *''

'' *''

Tteok-kkochi ''Tteok-kkochi'' () is a popular South Korean street food consisting of skewered and fried tteok (rice cakes) brushed with spicy gochujang-based sauce. Etymology ''Tteok'' () means rice cakes, and ''kkochi ''Kkochi'' () is a category of Korea ...

References

External links

Information about ''Tteok''
from lifeinkorea.com
Information about Dano and Korean dessertsVideo about Tteok

General information, origin and recipe of ''Tteok''
from Tteok & Kitchen Utensil Museum
Information about and recipe for ''Tteok''
{{Glutinous rice dishes Korean cuisine Glutinous rice dishes Steamed foods