People make Korean rice cakes, develop new recipes amid global popularity

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Korea's tteok is a versatile staple that serves as both a casual street food and a ceremonial dish.

In recent times, it's also been garnering a global fan base whose members have been sharing their own creative twists to it.

Our Park Kun-woo shows us.

Chewy, bouncy Korean rice cakes are gaining global popularity.

And it's not just on their own, but also in dishes made with them, including "tteokbokki" or spicy stir-fried rice cakes, along with a growing presence of Korean content.

Tteokbokki was even added to the Oxford English Dictionary last year.

As interest in rice cake grows, foreigners are finding ways to make their own.

One way for visitors to Korea is by taking one-day cooking classes.

"I've seen many "tteok" related videos with always these kind of platforms, TikTok, Instagram and I always wanted to try them. They're becoming a boom right now because everybody wants to know more."

These classes are getting even more popular than before, to the point where they fill up within a day of opening.

"Foreign visitors (they) are really huge fan of Korean staple food of rice cake. So we decided to hold this class regularly. Korean food has always been like a big trend and I think also in the rice cake they added more of the global potentials."

Back at their homes, people are getting more creative, inventing their own recipes instead of just following the originals.

One example is the viral "kkultteok" cereal that even made its way back to Korea.

"So this is the popular "kkultteok" cereal that started going viral on social media outside Korea. All you need to do is pour milk on the rice cakes. Now, I'm going to try it myself to see why this has gained such popularity."

Along with this trend, rice cake exports have grown rapidly.

According to South Korea's Food Ministry, exports exceeded 91 million U.S. dollars in 2024, around triple the figure from five years ago.

An expert expects continued growth, citing specific factors.

"Rice cakes tailored to local tastes, easy preparation, and a shelf life of over a year have boosted exports. The global market will continue to trend toward convenience and health-conscious foods as they are now."

He also said establishing local distribution networks globally will be key to maintaining the momentum.

Park Kun-woo, Arirang News.