Life is a different Wave moving by Time and ending at Shore: Traditional Korean Tteok (Rice Cake)

There are many splendid food culture which Korean have established for long times. Tteok is a typical Korean traditional food which they have widely and commonly used at traditional holiday or ancestral rites or feast like first-birthday party and/or one’s 60^th birthday party.

1. History and Background

Tteok is made with grain flour through process of steaming or boiling or frittering or malleting. We could assume Tteok would start to make at agrarian society. It was generally used at Koryeo Dynasty and glory days at Joseon Dynasty which Confucianism was deeply introduced and various Tteok was introduced at the four typical ceremonial occasions of age, wedding, funeral and ancestral rites. They made a Tteok simply with grain flour and few simple additives at early Joseon Dynasty and later started to use or mix with fruit or flower or herb which made colorful and various shaped Tteok. The Tteok had been continuously developing for more luxurious and wider variety at higher level people at late Joseon Dynasty like Yangban or King and his families. There are 198 different kinds of Tteok which made with 95 different raw materials

2. Kinds of Tteok and Ceremonial Tteok

As stated above, there are four different kinds of Tteok like steaming or boiling or frittering or malleting. Typical steaming Tteok is Shiru Tteok which is made with rice or sticky rice powder through process of steaming. We could broadly and generally classify as three principal different style Tteok among three countries, China, Japan and Korea. China Tteok is made with wheat flour through baking process. Japan Tteok is made with sticky rice flour through malleting process. Korean Tteok is made with rice flour through steaming process.

There are about 100 different kinds of steamed Tteok in Korea which typically are Patgomul Shiru Tteok (Rice Cake with Adzuki Bean), Kong Shiru Tteok (rice cake with bean), Baekshuelgi (Pure steamed rice ckae), Gaksaekpyeon (Various Color rice cake), Songpyeon (rice dumpling with different core), Duteop Tteok, Jeung Pyeon, Yakshik (steamed sticky rice block piece) and so on. There are malleting Tteok which is made with steamed rice or its powder through malleting process, hammering on large mortar or large flat wood plate. They are typical like Hien Tteok (white rice cake), Jeolpyeon (pounded rice cake), Ienjeomi (sticky rice cake coated with bean flour), Danjaru and so on. There is other category of Tteok, Gijin Tteok which is made with sticky rice flour through shaping and frittering process. They are typically Jeonbyeong (plain rice pancake), Whajeon (Sticky rice pancake with flower petals), Juak (rice pancake with adzuki bean), Bugumi (various Grain flour pancake with core like adzuki bean) and so on. There is last Tteok made by sticky rice flour through shaping and boiling and coating process which typically are Gumeong Tteok (boiled sticky rice ball coating with bean powder or adzuki powder), Kyeongdan (rice ball coating with crushed bean flakes), Danja (sticky rice cake coating with honey and pine nut), Jabgwabyeong (sticky rice cake with various fruits like dried persimmon, dried jujube, pine nut, walnut, dried plum, dried grape and etc.).

3. Tteok for Rite of Age Passage and Seasonal Customs

The rie of age passage means important passage people should pass from the birth to the die like 100 days celebration after birth, first year birthday, marriage, 60^th birthday celebration, ancestral ritual formalities and etc. People have prepared these food with praying mind for smoothly taking over hard instances which people used to face during their living. Tteok has been always playing an important role at formalities and keeping middle and core position at the formalities. People used to serve Baeksulgi (plain whir rice cake), Bulgeun Kyeongdan (Red sorghum ball), Osaek Songpyeon (five color rice cake with core) and so on in case baby or children, while Bongchi Tteok, Gaksaek Pyeon, Ienjeolmi, Jeolpyeon and etc. in case adult.

Baeksulgi is a food treating as holly from old days which people is praying for baby’s safe growing with joyful and pleasure. Bulgeun Kyeongdan is preparing for preventing the baby or children from any possible bad fortune taking into account legend ghost is reluctant to red color. Osaek Song Pyeon is for prying baby would live with smooth and safe in association with universe and/or world control system like principal five elements, five virtues and five different tastes. It is transmitted from ancient that anybody should serve and distribute their preparing Tteok to 100 neighbors for baby’s safe life without disease and long life. People used to prepare Bongchi Tteok with red color adzuki bean and with many layers and distribute these Tteok to visitors at the wedding celebration as well as neighbors after finishing the wedding. This means not only for wedding couple’s living with conjugal harmony but also for long and safe living to senior aging 60^th Birthday.

People used to make Tteok at seasonal celebration day which they prepare and distribute to neighbors for good society harmony as well as supplementing nutrition together. They are typically Yakshik (plain rice cake with dark brown color), Haewon Tteok which is for good harmony with neighbors at full Moon Celebration in January based on Moon Calendar. It is transmitted from old days that anybody had a blames to neighbors and prepared number of Haewon Tteok according to number of blames and distribute them to the blamed neighbors. They thereafter will start to live together under sl close harmony or cooperative mood. There are also Sookpyeon (mugwort rice cake) and Charyunbyeong (rice cake with wagon wheel shape) at Dano Celebration at 1^st of May every year based on Moon Calendar.

4. Changed Tteok and New Way

Tteok has been starting focus under situation people have been pursuing well-being food instead of fat rich Hamburger or sugar rich pizza or cake which were from overseas area. We used to call these kinds of food as junk food, i.e. waste food and recognize these junk food is to destroy human health balance. They recently turned their eye to Tteok which is less sugar and fat inside. As you probably know, there is essential amino acid rich at the Tteok because they are made with various grains. People considered adding additives to Tteok to grain flour material like nut or vegetables or fruits to supplementing minerals and vitamin at grains. We recently see Tteok Café not only where we could take one enough qualified meal on the street but also where we could take fusion food which young generation like to take. They are not special food for special day but common food for every day and easily accessible.