떡볶이(Tteokbokki) is national foods every Korean people love to eat, many youngsters stand in line to eat it when school finishes. 떡볶이 is literally meaning that stir fried 떡(tteok) which is rice cake or sometimes flour cake in bite size.
Originally in palace, use of ganjang(soy sauce), tteok, meats, and vegetables are mixed to stir fry, after Korean War, gochujang has been used. Both ways are still widely used in modern days too.
The main ingredient tteok is made of rice powder, it is better taste and easy to chew them up than the one made of flour, the latter is cheaper so some restaurants use it, I recommend the former, made of rice.
떡볶이 is highly popular foods for memory of many Korean people’s years of schooling. There are many restaurants nearby school, when school finishes, many students come to the restaurants and order 떡볶이 with friends, it is one of the national foods consumption is large, and it is symbolic food many Korean people recommend to international friends.
If you don’t like strong hot flavor, please try 궁중떡볶이. It is made of soy sauce, meats and vegetables, milder taste. If you like to eat chilly pepper hot flavor, 고추장 떡볶이 is recommended too.
There are many variations like these:
국물떡볶이 – more sauces like soup
기름떡볶이 – no much soupy sauces, oil is used
치즈떡볶이 – cheese is put to 고추장 떡볶이
커리떡볶이 – instead of 고추장, curry is used
짜장떡볶이 – instead of 고추장, black bean sauce is used
크림떡볶이 – like pasta, cream is used
로제떡볶이 – milk, cream and tomato sauce is used
라볶이 – instead of tteok, ramyun is used
떡꼬치 – 가래떡 is used and sauce is spread over the surface
떡볶이 is popular street food so when you travel Korean cities, one of the experiences how Korean people eat in snack time.