Tteok

Tteok

Alternative names	Rice cake
Type	Rice cake
Place of origin	Korea
Main ingredients	Flourmade of various grains, includingglutinousor non-glutinousrice
Variations	Steamed, pounded, shaped, pan-fried
Media:Tteok

Korean name
Hangul	떡
Revised Romanization	tteok
McCune–Reischauer	ttŏk
IPA	[t͈ʌk̚]

Tteok(Korean:떡) is a general term forKoreanrice cakes.They are made with steamedflourof various grains,especiallyglutinousand non-glutinousrice.Steamed flour can also be pounded, shaped, or pan-fried to maketteok.In some cases,tteokis pounded fromcooked grains.

Tteokis eaten not only as a dessert or seasonal delicacy, but also as a meal. It can range from elaborate versions made of various colors, fragrances, and shapes using nuts, fruits, flowers, andnamul(herbs/wild greens), to plain white ricetteokused in home cooking. Some common ingredients for many kinds oftteokarered bean,soybean,mung bean,mugwort,pumpkin,chestnut,pine nut,jujube,dried fruits,sesameseeds and oil, andhoney.

Tteokis usually shared.Tteokoffered to spirits is calledboktteok( "good fortunerice cake ") and shared with neighbours and relatives. It is also one of the celebratory foods used in banquets, rites, and various festive events.Tteokguk( "rice cake soup" ) is shared to celebrateKorean New Yearandsongpyeonis shared onChuseok,a harvest festival.

History

The history of rice cakes goes back to the primitive agricultural society. It is presumed that it is because at least about the 7th to 8th centuries B.C., there are records of sowing seeds and plowing and farming in this land, or because almost all of them are found in the ruins like Galdol (a flat stone used as a tool when grinding fruit against a grind stone) or Dolhwag (a small mortar made of stone) of that period.

The origin of rice cakes began in prehistoric times when the coarse powder obtained from the primitive threshing process of multigrains was baked without cooking utensils or by making earthquake foods.

Utensils for makingtteok

Tteoksal

Jeolgu

Siru

Below are cooking utensils used to maketteokin the traditional Korean way.

• Ki(키),winnowing basket
• Inambak(이남박), rice-washing bowl
• Bagaji(바가지), gourd-like dipper
• Ongbaegi(옹배기) andjabaegi(자배기), large, round pottery bowls
• Che(체) andchetdari(쳇다리), sieve and sieve-frame legs
• Maetdol(맷돌), grinding stone
• Jeolgu(절구) andjeolgutgongi(절굿공이),mortar and pestle
• Anban(안반) andtteokme(떡메), wooden pounding board andmallet^video
• Siru(시루) andsirumit(시루밑), earthenware steamer and mat placed in the bottom of it
• Sot(솥) andgeonggeure(겅그레),cauldronand steaming rack
• Beoncheol(번철), thick frying pan
• Chaeban(채반), wicker tray
• Tteoksal(떡살), woodentteokpattern stamp

Types

Main article:List of tteok varieties

Tteokis largely divided into four categories:"steamed tteok"(찌는 떡),"pounded tteok"(치는 떡),"boiled tteok"(삶는 떡) and"pan-fried tteok"(지지는 떡). The steamed tteok is made by steaming rice orglutinous riceflour in"siru"(시루), or a largeearthenwaresteamer,so it is often called"sirutteok"(시루떡). It is regarded as the basic and oldest form oftteok.Poundedtteokis made by using a pounding board or mortar after steaming it first. In making pan-fried tteok, the rice dough is flattened like apancakeand pan-fried with vegetable oil. Shapedtteokare made by kneading dough with hot water, then shaping it into balls.

Steamed tteok

Baekseolgi

Sultteok

The main ingredients for steamedtteokor"sirutteok"arerice(멥쌀,mebssalin Korean) orglutinous rice(찹쌀chapssal), and sometimes they are mixed together. In some cases, other grains, beans (azuki beansormung beans),sesameseeds,wheat flour,orstarchare mixed with the rice. Variousfruitsand nuts are used as subsidiary ingredients, such aspersimmons,peachesorapricots,chestnuts,walnuts,andpine nuts.In addition, marinated vegetables or herbs can be used to flavor thetteok.Danggwileaves (Ostericum grosseserratum),seogimushroom (mannalichen),radish,artemisia,pepper,andcheongjuare the most common flavorings, and honey and sugar are used assweeteners.

In order to make steamedtteokorsirutteok,rice or glutinous rice is soaked in water for a while, then ground. The prepared rice flour is put in asiruand steamed. According to steaming method,sirutteokis subdivided into two groups:seolgitteok(설기떡), which is shaped into a single large lump, andkyeotteok(켜떡), which consists of multiple layers withadzuki beanpowder or other bean powder.Seolgitteokis also calledmuritteok(무리떡), which is regarded as the most basic form ofsirutteokbecause it is made only of rice. When makingkyeotteok,rice and glutinous rice are mixed. The namekyeotteokderives from the adverbkyeokeyo(켜켜, literally "layered" ) in Korean because thistteokis made in layers.

• Baekseolgi(백설기) - a variety ofsiru tteok.It literally means white snowtteokand is made of white rice.
• Kongtteok(콩떡) -tteokmade with various kinds of beans
• Jeungpyeon(Korean:증편) orSultteok(Korean:설떡)-tteokmade withmakgeolli(unfiltered rice wine)
• Mujigae tteok(무지개떡)[1]- literally "rainbowtteok";this variety oftteokhas colorful stripes. Thetteokis used especially forjanchi(잔치), a Korean banquet, party, or feast such asdol(celebrating a baby's first birthday),Hwangap(celebrating a 60th birthday), orgyeolhon janchi(wedding party)

Pounded tteok

Garae-tteok

Injeolmi

In traditional preparations, poundedtteokis made by pounding rice or glutinous rice with utensils calledjeolguandjeolgutgongiortteokmeandanban.Injeolmi(tteokcoated with adzuki bean powder or roasted soybean powder),garaetteok(가래떡 cylinder-shaped white tteok),jeolpyeon(절편 patterned tteok) anddanja(단자 glutinous tteok ball coated with bean paste)” are the most commonly eaten poundedtteok.

Rice and glutinous rice are hulled to make grain particles or powder and then steamed in asiru(earthenware steamer) and pounded with utensils. The pounded tteok is divided by rice type into glutinous pounded tteok (찹쌀도병chapssal dobyeong) and non-glutinous poundedtteok(맵쌀도병mapssal dobyeong).Injeolmi,a representative of glutinous pounded tteok, varies in accordance withgomultypes (고물, coating made with bean powder, sesame seeds, or sliced jujubes) or subsidiary ingredients mixed into thesteamed ricewhile pounding on theanban.Patinjeolmi(팥인절미), andkkaeinjeolmi(깨인절미) are examples for the former, coated with red bean powder and sesame, respectively. Inssuk injeolmi(쑥인절미) andsurichwi injeolmi(수리취인절미),ssuk(Artemisia indica) andsurichwi(Synurus deltoides(AIT.) NAKAI) are added.

• Garae-tteok(가래떡; also calledhuin tteok,흰떡, literally "white tteok" ) –tteokformed into a long white cylinder. The thinly slicedgarae tteokis used for makingtteok guk.
• Omegi tteok(오메기떡) – traditionaltteokofJeju Island,the biggest island in Korea

Shapedtteok

• Ggul tteok(꿀떡) - literally means "tteok with honey" but thetteokis stuffed with Korean syrup.Ggul tteokis similar tosongpyeonin shape, but smaller in size
• Songpyeon(송편) - eaten duringChuseokholiday (추석), Korean thanksgiving day
• Gochitteok(고치떡)
• Ssamtteok(쌈떡) -tteokused forssam(쌈, food wrapped in a leaf)
• Dalgal tteok(닭알떡)[2]- named afterdalgal(달걀 or 계란 egg)
• Gyeongdan- Inside these rice balls are usually red bean or sesame paste. The balls are usually dipped and covered in black sesame or other powders.
• Bupyeon,consisting of dough made ofglutinous riceflour with a sweet filling and coated ingomul(powdered beans).

Pan-friedtteok

• Hwajeon[3]- small, sweet pancakes made of flour of glutinous rice and decorated with flower petals of the Koreanazalea,chrysanthemum,or rose.
• Bukkumi(부꾸미), pan-fried sweettteokwith various fillings in acrescentshape
• Juak(주악), made ofglutinous riceflour and stuffed with fillings such asmushrooms,jujubes,andchestnuts,and pan-fried.Juakare colored with natural coloring and covered with sugar or coated in honey.

Other varieties

• Ssuk tteok(쑥떡)
• Gaksaek pyeon(각색편)[4]

Gallery

• 
  Tteokbokki
• 
  Kkul tteok(꿀떡)
• 
  Injeolmi
• 
  Siruin front and otheronggi(generic term for earthenware)
• 
  Poundingtteok
• 
  Pat sirutteok,steamedsirutteoktopped withred beans
• 
  Hobak seolgitteok,steamedseolgitteokmade withpumpkins
• 
  Sultteok
• 
  Rice cake ball

Dishes made withtteok

• Tteok guk
• Tteokbokki
• Tteok-kkochi

See also

• Nian gao,similar Chinese category
• Korean cuisine
• List of Korean desserts
• List of steamed foods
• Food portal

References

• 민족사와 함께해온 '떡' 의 역사(in Korean).Monthly Chosun.2006-10-20. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-11-02.

External links

• Information aboutTteokfrom lifeinkorea.com
• Information about Dano and Korean desserts
• Video about Tteok
• (in Korean)General information, origin and recipe ofTteokfromTteok & Kitchen Utensil Museum
• (in Korean)Information about and recipe forTteok