Tteokbokki
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| Alternative names | Ddeokbokki |
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| Place of origin | Korea |
| Main ingredients | Tteok, gochujang, fish cakes |
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| Tteokbokki | |
| Hangul | 떡볶이 |
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| Revised Romanization | Tteokbokki |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ttŏkpokki |
Tteokbokki (Korean: 떡볶이, Korean pronunciation: [t͈ʌk̚.p͈o.k͈i]; also known as teokbokki, ddeokbokki, topokki, and dukboki) is a popular Korean food made from soft rice cake, fish cake, and the sweet red chili sauce called gochujang. It is commonly purchased from street vendors or pojangmacha. Originally it was called tteok jjim (Korean: 떡찜) and was a savory braised dish of sliced rice cake, meat, eggs, and seasoning.
Tteokbokki is a traditional Korean street food that can be purchased from street vendors, also called “pojangmacha” in Korean. The history of tteokbokki dates back to the late Joseon dynasty. There are many hypotheses of its origin. According to bibliographic data, the first tteokbokki in Korean history appears in a cook book called “Siui jeongseo (Korean: 시의정서)” written in the late Joseon dynasty. However, tteok (the main ingredient, also known as rice cake) was produced before in the Three Kingdoms period, suggesting tteokbokki predates this period. Tteokbokki can also be found in medical records: a book called “Shik nyo chanyo (Korean: 식료찬요)” written by Jeon Sunui, a medical officer in the Joseon dynasty (1460). The purpose of the book was to cure people through food and tteokbokki was part of it.
Tteokbokki was also a part of Korean royal court cuisine in the Joseon dynasty. While the modern tteokbokki is red and has a spicy taste, the original tteokbokki was brown and plain. It was called "gungjung tteokbokki (Korean: 궁중 떡볶이)", Palace Tteokbokki. Just like the name implies, gungjung tteokbokki was a main example of Korean haute cuisine. It was mainly composed with a combination of tteok, meat, vegetables and different kinds of seasoning. After the introduction of gochujang (Korean spicy paste made of chili peppers) during the Joseon dynasty, tteokbokki became red and spicy. It is believed that the main transition from plain to spicy tteokbokki occurred during the 1950s after the independence of Korea. In modern days, most of the tteokbokki sold in street vendors is red and spicy.
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