Tteok

''Tteok'' () is a general term for Korean rice cakes. They are made with steamed flour of various grains, especially glutinous and non-glutinous rice. 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, soybean, mung bean, mugwort, pumpkin, chestnut, pine nut, jujube, dried fruits, sesame seeds and oil, and honey.

''Tteok'' is usually shared. ''Tteok'' offered to spirits is called ''boktteok'' (" good fortune 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'' ("rice cake soup") is shared to celebrate Korean New Year and '' songpyeon'' is shared on Chuseok, a harvest festival.

History

The history of rice cakes goes back to the 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
* ''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'' () and ''jeolgutgongi'' (), mortar and pestle
* '' Anban'' () and ''tteokme'' (), wooden pounding board and malletvideo
/sup>
* '' Siru'' () and ''sirumit'' (), earthenware steamer and mat placed in the bottom of it
* '' Sot'' () and ''geonggeure'' (), cauldron 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 flour in ''"siru"'' (), or a large earthenware 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 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 rice (멥쌀, ''mebssal'' in Korean) or glutinous rice (찹쌀 ''chapssal''), and sometimes they are mixed together. In some cases, other grains, beans ( azuki beans or mung beans), sesame seeds, wheat flour, or starch are mixed with the rice. Various fruits and nuts are used as subsidiary ingredients, such as persimmons, peaches or apricots, chestnuts, walnuts, and pine nuts. In addition, marinated vegetables or herbs can be used to flavor the ''tteok''. ''Danggwi'' leaves ('' Ostericum grosseserratum''), '' seogi'' mushroom (manna lichen), radish, artemisia, pepper, and '' cheongju'' are the most common flavorings, and honey and sugar are used as sweeteners.

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 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 ''siru tteok''. 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'' (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'' (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'' and ''jeolgutgongi'' or ''tteokme'' and ''anban''. '' Injeolmi'' (''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'' types (고물, coating made with bean powder, sesame seeds, or sliced jujubes) or subsidiary ingredients mixed into the steamed rice 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'' (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, 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 '' songpyeon'' in shape, but smaller in size
*'' Songpyeon'' () - eaten during Chuseok 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'' - 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 glutinous rice flour with a sweet filling and coated in '' gomul'' (powdered beans).

Pan-fried ''tteok''

*'' Hwajeon'' - small, sweet pancakes made of flour of glutinous rice and decorated with flower petals of the Korean azalea, chrysanthemum, or rose.
*'' Bukkumi'' (), pan-fried sweet ''tteok'' with various fillings in a crescent shape
*''Juak'' (), made of glutinous rice flour and stuffed with fillings such as mushrooms, jujubes, and chestnuts, 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
Image:Korean.dessert-Tteok-Songpyeon-Kkultteok.01.jpg, ''Kkul-tteok''
Image:Korea-Sokcho-2007 Seorak Festival-06.jpg, '' Injeolmi''
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 red beans
Image:Hobakseolgitteok (pumpkin seolgi tteok).jpg, ''Hobak seolgitteok'', steamed ''seolgitteok'' made with pumpkins
Image:Sultteok.jpg, Sultteok
File:Rice cake ball.jpg, Rice cake ball

Dishes made with ''tteok''

*'' Tteok guk''
*'' Tteokbokki''
*'' Tteok-kkochi''

See also

* '' Nian gao'', similar Chinese category
* Korean cuisine
* List of Korean desserts
* List of steamed foods
*

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