It's not ramen or kimbap, but "Americans go crazy"... What is Korea's traditional food, really?

K-Tteok exports nearing 100 million dollars, the highest ever

Traditional rice cakes go global alongside the popularity of tteokbokki

New trend of 'tteok desserts' spreading in Korea and Europe

 

"I thought only tteokbokki was popular, but I didn't know traditional rice cakes would also become trendy." "It's amazing that they sell rice cakes at Costco in the United States too."

Korean rice cakes are capturing the taste buds of people worldwide. Last year, the export value of rice cakes reached a record high, approaching 100 million dollars. How did rice cakes, once only consumed domestically, come to attract attention in the global market?

K-Tteok exports reach $91.4 million, tripling in five years

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the export value of rice cake products in 2024 is expected to be 91.4 million dollars (approximately 131.3 billion won), representing a 17.5% increase compared to the previous year.

Compared to 2019 ($34.3 million), it has grown nearly threefold in five years. The largest export country is the United States ($34 million), followed by the Netherlands, Vietnam, Japan, and Canada.

 

At the center of growth is tteokbokki. As the K-food craze sweeps the world, interest in the rice cake itself has also increased. Last year, Oxford University Press in the UK included 'Tteokbokki' in the English dictionary, which reflects this trend.

The first time rice cake became known abroad was through the Korean community and Korean restaurants. It was sold at Korean markets and bakeries for holidays and events, and locals also began to try it.

However, the widespread dissemination occurred after the 2010s alongside the Korean Wave. As K-food content spread through YouTube and Netflix, tteokbokki became a trend, and subsequently, interest expanded to tteokguk rice cakes, garaetteok, and injeolmi.

K-tteok distribution network expanding to Costco and Walmart

SNS and YouTube also had an influence. Mukbang YouTubers introduced Korean rice cakes, and a challenge where overseas fans try them firsthand became popular.

 

On Instagram and TikTok, the keyword 'Korean Rice Cake' spread, and fusion recipes gained popularity. In particular, 'tteok cake' has established itself as a new bakery trend in Japan, Southeast Asia, the United States, and other regions.

Expansion of the global distribution network has also driven an increase in exports. Tteok, which was only sold at Korean grocery stores, can now be easily found at large supermarkets like Costco and Walmart in the United States.

At Amazon, rice cake meal kits and frozen rice cake products are consistently selling, and in the United States and Europe, honey rice cakes poured into milk, called 'honey rice cake cereal,' are spreading through social media, forming a new consumer base.

Korean rice cakes are now evolving beyond tradition into fusion cuisine, expanding consumption in the global market. Riding the wave of the tteokbokki craze, traditional rice cakes are also gaining attention, broadening the potential of K-food.

 

 

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I remember a review from recently where a domestic small to medium-sized company completed a tteokbokki sauce using only natural ingredients and announced that they would export the entire product... and even that sold out completely, so they are busy making more.

 

It seems that export is the only way to survive after all.

 

I hope that by effectively utilizing K syndrome, many export opportunities will open up~