In the past, tteokbokki sold near elementary schools was typically made with wheat rice cakes. These cakes were thinner and softer than their rice counterparts. The gochujang sauce was sweet and slightly spicy, and the fish cakes, simmered for a long time, absorbed the flavor of the sauce. For just a few hundred won, a bowl filled to the brim provided a satisfying meal for hungry students.
Adding sundae, or Korean blood sausage, made it even better. Diners would dip the sundae into the tteokbokki sauce and sip the fish cake broth from a cup. This scene likely looked similar across different schools.
Today, the food industry is revisiting these familiar flavors. Instead of amplifying spiciness or adding unusual ingredients, products that emphasize traditional tastes, like 'pojangmacha' (street vendor style) and 'old-fashioned tteokbokki,' are becoming more prominent.
The tteokbokki brand Geummiok, which started in Seongsu-dong, has recently introduced 'Tteok-Soon' and 'Geunbon.'
On August 26, CU launched 'Geummiok King Tteok-Soon Tteokbokki,' which combines tteokbokki and sundae in one dish. It features wheat rice cakes coated in a street vendor-style sauce, served with naked sundae and a side of perilla powder. This is a familiar combination often ordered together at snack shops.
On September 2, 'Complete Geummiok Geunbon Tteokbokki' will be released. Rather than replicating the taste of a specific restaurant, it offers a Geummiok-style interpretation of the beloved tteokbokki flavors enjoyed across various regions for years. The dish uses wheat rice cakes, spiced with gochugaru for heat, and adds a subtle sweetness with apple juice. This differs from the currently popular spicy and intense tteokbokki.
Geummiok's 'King Jjol-Ra Tteokbokki,' launched in March, topped CU's refrigerated snack sales from April to May. Earlier releases, including rice tteokbokki and soup tteokbokki, also ranked first and fifth in their category shortly after launch. Since entering CU in November 2024, approximately 1.35 million Geummiok products have been sold.
The places where people enjoy tteokbokki have changed significantly. Once found at small snack shops near schools, markets, and street vendors, tteokbokki now occupies a substantial space in convenience store refrigerated sections. The products have also evolved. No longer limited to small cups for a quick snack, many now include ramen, jjolmyeon, and sundae, making them suitable for a full meal.
Searching for the taste of tteokbokki from those days in a convenience store is a curious experience.
Back then, there was no need to travel far for tteokbokki. On the way home from school, there was usually a tteokbokki shop at the entrance of the market or at the end of the alley. It didn’t have to be a famous place. The few hundred won tteokbokki shared with friends was the taste of the neighborhood.
Now, that taste has been branded and packaged. Terms like 'pojangmacha style,' 'school front,' and 'geunbon' adorn the convenience store shelves. However, the method of dipping sundae into tteokbokki sauce remains unchanged.
The enduring popularity of tteokbokki likely stems from its simplicity. A single bite can evoke memories of a place and the people with whom it was shared.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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