Korean's Top 5 Favorate Rice Cake and Its Change

 Korean favorite rice cakes have changed according to the times and dietary changes, and in addition to traditional Injeolmi, Garaetteok, and Baekseolgi, fusion rice cakes and health-conscious rice cakes are gaining popularity.Traditional Popular Rice Cakes Representative traditional rice cakes that have long been loved by Koreans are as follows.

1. A representative traditional rice cake that has been loved by Koreans

1-1) Injeolmi: It is a rice cake dipped in soybean water, etc. after steaming and pounding glutinous rice, and is consistently popular due to its savory and chewy taste.

1-2) Garaetteok: It is a rice cake made from a long extraction of glutinous rice, and is also loved as an ingredient for rice cake soup or a snack that is baked and dipped in honey.

1-3) Baekseolgi: It is a pure white rice cake made of dried glutinous rice flour, and was used to pray for health and longevity on special days such as 100 days and stones.

1-4) Honey rice cake: It is a rice cake made with honey or sugar in sticky rice dough and then coated with sesame oil. It is popular among men and women of all ages due to its sweet taste and chewy texture.

1-5) Songpyeon: It is a representative rice cake that is not missed during the Chuseok holiday, and is steamed with pine needles in a half-moon shape.

2. Modern Rice Cake Preference Changes and Trends

Recently, the types of rice cakes and the way they are consumed have also changed due to the influence of westernized eating habits and health trends.

2-1) Emergence of Fusion Rice Cake: It has been reborn in various forms such as tteokbokki and rice cake, and is becoming more friendly to young people. Rice cake cakes that use rice cake sheets instead of bread and are decorated with dung flowers are as popular as regular cakes.

2-2) Health and well-being trends: It is also gaining attention as a diet food due to the widespread perception that it is low in calories and uses healthy ingredients compared to bread. Rice cakes using healthy ingredients such as mugwort rice cakes and banana rice cakes are gaining popularity.

2-3) Improved online distribution and accessibility: In the past, people often bought directly from rice cake shops or mills, but recently, various rice cake products in the form of online sales and home convenience (HMR) have been released, increasing accessibility.

2-4) Grandmother Trend: Traditional rice cakes and refreshments are back in vogue as the MZ generation's interest in traditional snacks grows.

In conclusion, traditional rice cakes still play an important role on holidays or special occasions, but in everyday life, rice cakes using soft and healthy ingredients have gained popularity around the new consumer base, and the rice cake culture continues to develop.