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“Tteokbokki,” the iconic Korean street food, is now a global favorite that has crossed borders. Street food such as pupa, steamed buns, and fish cakes, which were often eaten on the way home from school in the ’70s and ’80s, are hard to shake off for Koreans.
Over the years, these snacks have been gradually replaced by fast food, but there’s one dish that still holds its own. This is “Tteokbokki”.
Tteokbokki, like kimchi, has become one of the staples of Korean food. Its unique spicy and sweet flavor is now attracting foreigners as well.
On social media, you’ll often see foreigners obsessed with spicy tteokbokki. The so-called “spicy cheese tteokbokki” topped with mozzarella cheese has exploded in popularity among the younger generation.
On social media, such as TikTok and Instagram, videos of people eating Tteokbokki have garnered a high number of views and “likes,” with many comments praising the dish.
Recently, a foreigner’s video of mozzarella cheese tteokbokki on TikTok received more than 860,000 “likes” and more than 5,000 comments, demonstrating the global popularity of tteokbokki.
Why has Tteokbokki become so popular worldwide?
First, it’s a simple recipe. Tteokbokki is a dish that anyone can make without any special skills.
All you need is rice cakes, gochujang, and sugar to make this spicy and sweet dish. What’s more, you can use a variety of ingredients to customize the dish to your liking, which is an important factor in its appeal to foreigners.
You can add ramen, fish cakes, dumplings, or any other ingredients to Tteokbokki, so it has a wide range of applications.
Second, it’ s competitively priced. Tteokbokki is an inexpensive yet filling dish. One of the reasons why consumers are increasingly turning to Tteokbokki as a quick snack in foreign countries is that it is not only delicious but also affordable.
Tteokbokki is a meal that can fill you up in one sitting, and its affordable price point appeals to consumers from all walks of life.
Third, there are many flavor variations. Tteokbokki is based on spicy flavor, but you can enjoy various flavors by adding various sauces such as cheese, curry, and cream.
In recent years, various flavor variations such as ‘Buldak Tteokbokki’ and ‘Rose Tteokbokki’ have appeared one after another, targeting global consumers.
This variety of flavors is one of the reasons why Tteokbokki is widely loved not only in Korea but also abroad.
The popularity of Tteokbokki is also evident in street food markets around the world. In particular, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, tourists were seen lining up in long lines to buy Tteokbokki.
One tteokbokki vendor sold 500 servings of tteokbokki per day in four hours. This is a clear indication of the global popularity of Korean street food.
Tteokbokki is also very popular in London. A shop called “Bunsik” in central London has become so popular that the average wait time is an hour. The restaurant currently has six branches in London alone, and the number is expected to grow.
Retailers have also responded to the global popularity of tteokbokki. Bibigo, a leading Korean food brand, launched a bite-sized rice cakes in pouches and expanded its exports to 41 countries, up from 29 earlier this year.
In addition, Dukki Tteokbokki is leading the globalization of Tteokbokki with more than 170 stores in 11 countries around the world.
Thanks to this expansion, Tteokbokki is no longer just a Korean favorite, but a global recipe.
The appeal of Tteokbokki lies in its simple recipe, low price, and the flexibility of its ingredients and combinations. These qualities appeal to consumers across borders and cultures.
With a long history as a Korean soul food, Tteokbokki is now opening up new possibilities in the global market.
Considered a “strange and spicy food” just a few years ago, Tteokbokki has become a “familiar and tryable food” for people around the world.
Along with frozen kimbap, ramen, and kimchi, tteokbokki is now one of Korea’s most iconic Korean dishes, and its popularity is only expected to grow.
Tteokbokki has the potential to grow to satisfy a wide range of tastes around the world thanks to its simplicity and flexibility. As a result, the industry related to Tteokbokki is expected to become more vibrant.
Tteokbokki is more than just a Korean street food, it has become a global Korean cuisine, and its popularity is likely to continue. With the growth of Tteokbokki, Korean food culture will continue to gain a stronger foothold in the global market.
