The Korean Street Food Tteokbokki Is Taking Over The Food Scene

In recent years, Korean cuisine has become highly globalized. Thanks to the Korean government's efforts to popularize Korean food overseas, Korean staples like napa cabbage kimchi and bibimbap have landed on the menus of the world's most popular food destinations. Yoon Suk-yeol's government is sending ingredients and tableware to Korean restaurants overseas to help develop Korean food as an international brand; the plan is working.

Of course, it wouldn't be so simple if Korean food wasn't so darn delicious. The flavors and textures of Korean cuisine are very enticing, offering a blend of common Asian staples with a distinctive freshness and spicy punch. Gochujang chili paste is one of the hottest in the world and, ultimately, a signature flavor of Korean cuisine. The fermented red chili paste is used in many Korean recipes, including the new street food hype — tteokbokki. If you haven't yet heard of this authentic Korean dish, it's time to learn the name.

Rice is big in Korea (just like in the rest of Asia); 80% of all farms in Korea grow this grain, so the variety of rice dishes in Korea should come as no surprise. Perhaps one of the most famous Korean rice treats is tteokbokki: a sticky rice cake served in a tangy red chili sauce. For many years, the mouthwatering chewiness and cylindrical shape of authentic Korean rice cake were synonymous with upper-class cuisine, eaten in royal courts and accompanied by beef, mushrooms, and seafood. The Korean War changed many ancient customs in the country, transforming the beloved rice cake into a common comfort food now found on the streets and in small kiosks near schools.

Rice cakes hold a special place in Korean culture and often evoke a sense of nostalgia. Locals celebrate the dish every year by throwing a huge rice cake festival across the country, where you can sample the traditional tteokbokki and many of its variations; in addition to the popular red chili sauce, Koreans like to eat their tteokbokki with boiled eggs, fish cakes, and a less spicy soy sauce.

The simplicity and addictive, sweet, and salty spiciness of tteokbokki have recently pushed the Korean street food staple into the spotlight of the global food scene. This has a lot to do with the K-culture movement, and interest in all things Korean only seems to be growing, says IESE. In New York, Witch Toppoki, the first specialized Korean tteokbokki restaurant, has opened in Flushing Queens, quickly followed by a second location in Bayside as love for the trendy cakes continues to increase.

From fresh to packaged, tteokbokki rice cakes have taken Amazon and Walmart by storm, via NBC News. The Korean producer O'Food introduced instant rice cakes to the U.S. market in 2021 and saw a whopping 450% increase in sales in 2022. If the craze continues, more eateries are likely to pop up around the country selling their unique versions of Korean gnocchi — New York's favorite Witch Toppoki already has some innovative tteokbokki made with corn or sweet potato, so everyone can find their favorite cake.