한국국제교류재단

Writer and journalist Choe Namseon (1890–1957), a prominent figure during Korea’s modern era, noted in his 1946 book on Korean customs, traditions, geography, and religion, titled Joseon General Knowledge: Questions and Answers ( Joseon sangsik mundap), that eating tteokguk on the first day of the year dated back to ancient times. This tradition originated in eumbok, the partaking of ritual foods offered to ancestors during the new year rites, a term that literally means “to eat and drink blessings” and expresses a wish to receive the favor of one’s ancestors through shared food. Although it is unclear exactly what period Choe meant by “ancient times,” scholars generally agree that the tteokguk custom likely arose before rice-cooking techniques were refined, when rice was pounded into flour and steamed as cakes called tteok. However, since tteok hardens as it cools, people naturally began adding it to hot broth as a way to soften it.

In Record of Seasonal Customs in the Eastern Kingdom (Dongguk sesigi) by Hong Seok-mo (1781-1857), which documents life in the Joseon era, tteokguk appears as baektang (white soup) and byeongtang (rice cake soup). The “white” in baektang refers not only to the soup’s color but also its symbolism of purity and cleanliness. Eating this dish signified beginning the year with a pure and sincere heart. For this reason, whether made with beef, chicken, or anchovies, every effort was made to keep the broth clear and light in color.

Koreans have traditionally counted age by the year rather than by birthdays. Accordingly, eating tteokguk on Seollal means growing one year older. If someone says “I’ve eaten more bowls of tteokguk than you,” they’re claiming to be older — and, by extension, wiser. Record of Seasonal Customs in the Eastern Kingdom even notes the question “How many bowls of byeongtang have you had?” as a way of asking someone’s age. More than just a festive dish, tteokguk came to symbolize both the passage of time and the accumulation of life experience.

Garaetteok, which is sliced to make tteokguk, has a subtle flavor and pleasantly chewy texture, and is widely enjoyed on its own as a snack. Grilled over a fire until golden brown, the rice cakes turn crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and are typically served with a drizzle of jocheong, a sweet grain syrup, or with honey.
© Korea Tourism Organization

In Miscellaneous Records of the Capital (Gyeongdo japji), the late Joseon-era scholar Yu Deuk-gong (1748–1807) described tteokguk as “a dish made by steaming non-glutinous rice into tteok, pounding and kneading it into long strands, waiting for it to harden, and then slicing it thin like coins before boiling it with pheasant meat.” This is a vivid depiction of how the dish was prepared. The long strands embodied wishes for a long and healthy life, while the round, coin-like slices symbolized wealth, abundance, and prosperity. Hence, tteokguk came to be regarded as more than a winter dish but as a symbol of good fortune.

During the coldest months, tteokguk also served a practical purpose. Made from rice ground into flour, tteok is easy to digest and quickly converted into energy — an ideal food for winter, when metabolism slows and people need warmth and sustenance.

The ingredients also reflected the realities of an agrarian society. Since beef was a rare luxury, it was often replaced with pheasant or chicken, both producing a clear, light broth consistent with the ideal of baektang. They were also restorative and symbolic: Pheasant, in particular, was believed to replenish yang (positive) energy, helping the body to stay warm, while the rooster’s cry at daybreak naturally evoked the start of a new year. However, since wild pheasants were hard to come by, chicken became the usual substitute. This, in turn, gave rise to the Korean saying “a chicken instead of a pheasant,” meaning a practical replacement when the ideal is unattainable.

Tteokguk is a dish that varies by region, reflecting local character through its ingredients and broth. In the northern regions of the Korean peninsula, now part of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, distinct local variations developed in response to the environment and available resources. The city of Kaesong is known for joraengi tteokguk, featuring small ribbon-shaped rice cakes twisted at both ends and prized for their soft, chewy texture. Served in clear beef broth and topped with shredded egg garnish and seaweed flakes, its refined flavor pairs perfectly with mild side dishes such as dongchimi (brined radish kimchi) and mu kimchi (white radish kimchi). Farther north in Hamgyong and Pyeongan provinces, where rice has historically been scarce, mandu (dumplings) often replaced tteok as the soup’s main ingredient. The resulting tteok manduguk was made with a deep, savory broth of anchovies, kelp, or other dried seafood, and topped with garlic, bean curd, and green onions. Served with kimchi, jeotgal (salted and fermented seafood), and other preserved foods, it provided nourishment to endure the long winter.

In Gangwon Province, south of the border, where mountains meet the sea, tteokguk reflects the landscape. People living in mountainous areas simmered hwangtae (dried pollock) for hours to make a clear, flavorful broth, while those in coastal areas used squid or other types of fresh fish. Tteok manduguk, containing dumplings made with buckwheat-flour wrappers, was also common.

The Chungcheong region offers its own take, with non-glutinous rice flour kneaded with hot water to make small dough lumps, thickly sliced or torn by hand. Known as naltteokguk or saengtteokguk, this variation features irregular, pleasantly chewy pieces in a mild beef, chicken, or anchovy broth. With minimal garnishes, the soup is served with side dishes such as musaengchae (seasoned white radish salad) or dongchimi, reflecting the region’s unpretentious character.

In Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, influences from across the country converged to form the now-standard style of tteokguk: a clear beef broth seasoned with gukganjang (traditional Korean soy sauce), filled with diagonally sliced garaetteok and topped with shredded egg garnish, green onions, seaweed, and thin strips of beef. It is typically enjoyed with kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi) or dongchimi. This is the classic version most familiar to Koreans today.

The Jeolla provinces are known for bold, robust flavors, exemplified by dakjang tteokguk. Once made with pheasant, it is now prepared with chicken, simmered first in soy sauce with aromatic green onions, garlic, and ginger, then diluted with water to create the broth before adding the tteok. The result is a rich, hearty soup whose flavors deepen as the rice cake pieces absorb the seasoned chicken broth.

Among the regional variations, tteokguk from the Gyeongsang provinces stands out for its use of kkumi, a garnish of soy sauce-braised beef that defines the soup’s character. The broth, typically made from anchovies and kelp or beef, gains extra richness from the salty, savory meat. Other garnishes include bean curd, eggs, and seaweed f lakes, and in coastal areas oysters or other seafood are added. In the city of Ulsan, a distinctive version called gubeun tteokguk features grilled tteok, which lends the dish a nutty flavor. A pancake made of non-glutinous and glutinous rice flour, mixed together and kneaded with hot water, is cooked in a lightly oiled pan. Cut into bite-size pieces, it is added to a light broth flavored with anchovies and soy sauce, the pan-grilled tteok complementing the broth to create a uniquely satisfying combination. “Gubeun” is a word in the local dialect meaning “grilled.”

Today, with ingredients abundant and customs less strictly observed, many traditional Korean holiday dishes have faded from daily life. Yet tteokguk remains a symbol of renewal and good fortune. Even as ready-made versions make it convenient to enjoy year-round at home, families still gather on Seollal morning to share a bowl, exchanging blessings for the year ahead.

Joraengi tteokguk is a regional specialty from Kaesong. Unlike more common versions of tteokguk, this dish features small ribbonshaped rice cakes, while the broth and garnishes are similar to other varieties.
© Kyunghyang Shinmun