Have you ever tried the Korean snack called 떡볶이? A chewy rice cake dish covered with a spicy and sweet flavored sauce, it is one of the most beloved snacks for people of all ages in Korea.

Since I was a little kid, 떡볶이  has been one of my favorite Korean snacks. My friends and I looked forward to stopping by 떡볶이 restaurants after long hours of studying, from my elementary years and all the way through high school. It was our favorite after school snack because it was inexpensive and tasty to enjoy together. Even as an adult, I still enjoy indulging this spicy, sweet, and chewy rice cake snack.

Not only 떡볶이  is a popular homemade snack, but it is also a popular snack to eat out. Precooked 떡볶이  can become a quick and delicious nosh for you, or you can try 즉석 떡볶이  at a restaurant to enjoy the whole process of cooking 떡볶이  at your table side. It is easy to find places that serve this snack: street venders, traditional markets, food courts, and 분식집 (restaurants that specialize in Korean snack foods).

Although 떡볶이  has many variations as far as recipes, there are two very popular versions of seasonings: one is a non-spicy version with a  간장 (soy sauce) based seasoning, and the other one is a spicy version with  고추장 (Korean pepper paste) seasoning. The 고추장 based seasoning is the most popular version of 떡볶이  in Korea: most restaurants serve 고추장  seasoned  떡볶이. 오뎅 (fish cakes),  라면 (Ramyun: instant noodles),  파 (green onions), and  삶은 계란 (hard boiled eggs) are beloved ingredients that are added to  떡볶이  to enhance the enjoyment and flavor of this dish.

If you don’t mind trying a spicy Korean snack, 떡볶이  may be a great dish for you. Even though it is considered to be a snack food, in most cases it becomes an inexpensive full meal that you can enjoy with your friends, coworkers, and family members. Korean people also enjoy eating 김밥 (Kimbop),  오뎅국 (Fish cake soup), and 만두 (Korean Dumplings) with 떡볶이  because they are not only delicious but they also tone down the spiciness of  떡볶이  in your mouth. This spicy, sweet, and chewy rice cake snack could become very addictive for you, too.

감사합니다! (Thank you!)

***Related Vocabulary***

1. 떡볶이    (a Korean snack food: a chewy rice cake dish covered with a spicy and sweet flavored sauce)
2. 분식집    (restaurants that specialize in Korean snack foods)
3. 간장    (soy sauce)
4. 고추장    (Korean pepper paste)
5. 오뎅    (fish cakes)
6. 라면    (Ramyun: instant noodles)
7. 파    (green onions)
8. 삶은 계란    (hard boiled eggs)
9. 김밥    (Kimbop)
10. 오뎅국    (Fish cake soup)
11. 만두    (Korean Dumplings)