Whats for snack - Tteokbokki

Everyone likes to eat and we do have our own preferences when going out for meals. These days, I rarely try out Korean street food because most my lunch or dinner dates were not held at the street. And sometimes too, I prefer bread as a bakery is just outside my campus.

Nevertheless, sometimes I do try out some Korean street food. And of course one of them is definitely Tteokbokki (떡볶이). When in Korea, it is a must to try it.

Foreigners prefer tteokbokki on streets

"Tteokbokki, a rice cake snack marinated with red pepper paste, was selected as the favorite street food among foreigners.

According to a survey by Kyung Hee University’s Institute of International Education of 455 foreigners from 62 countries residing in Korea, tteokbokki topped the list with 31.1 percent. It was followed by dakkochi, skewered chicken; sundae, blood sausage; and tempura, deep-fried seafood or vegetables.

잉어빵 ("Carp" cake)

The majority, or 93.6 percent, of the respondents said they like Korean foods because they are delicious, full of nutrition and good for health.

Kimchi was the face of Korean food as 59 percent linked Korean foods with it. But bulgogi, grilled beef, was their overall favorite food followed by roasted ribs.

The respondents said they eat kimchi, grilled fish, seaweed and marinated vegetables the most in everyday life.

More than half, or 59.8 percent, said they can cook Korean food quite well. Their favorite recipes were kimchijjigae, kimchi broth; tteokbokki and rice rolls."

(Source: Korea Herald)

떡볶이 or Tteokbokki is the cheapest and most common snack in Korea. Hate it or love it, most foreigners will be sweating when eating it for the first time. It's very spicy! Malaysians can lah... Usually at only around 1000 Won (in Daegu, maybe more in Seoul..), it's quite common to eat it as a cheap snack especially when we are bored.

Tteokbokki is usually cooked in a big pan together with shreds of cabbages, tteok or 떡 (rice cake), fish cake and hot spicy sauce. Though there are many variation of Tteokbokki, I do like the cheese tteokbokki with spicy squid.