Tteokbokki is a popular Korean street food made with garae-tteok—long, cylinder-shaped, chewy rice cakes. The rice cakes are simmered in a spicy-sweet chili sauce (gochujang), often with fish cakes and scallions added.
Although tteokbokki is now best known as a street food commonly sold at pojangmacha—Korean outdoor food stalls similar to food trucks—its origins date back to the Joseon Dynasty. At that time, tteokbokki was a royal court dish, though its ingredients and appearance were quite different from the version enjoyed today. It was called tteok jjim, which was braised of sliced rice cakes, meat, eggs, and seasonings.
