Tteokbokki, the most representative, scrumptiously spicy Korean food. Many Koreans enjoy making tteokbokki at home and it also became a snack for people around the world. Due to the impact of COVID-19, instant tteokbokki in the convenient HMR (Home Meal Replacement) form is gaining popularity in the U.S. and China. Let’s find out about the popularity of instant tteokbokki, which has emerged as a global snack.

#The Power of Korean Tteokbokki is in Progress
Korean instant tteokbokki is becoming a synonym for HMR food along the consumption trend due to COVID-19. According to the Korea Customs Service, exports of tteokbokki (including processed rice products and rice cakes) in 2020 amounted to USD 54 million, up 56.7% from the previous year. Exports from January to April this year reached USD 21 million as well, up 50.5% from the same period last year. The secret of this popularity is analyzed as the influence of the new consumption trend, or a higher demand for HMR food at home, such as tteokbokki, due to COVID-19. Accordingly, Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) also held a K-Food HMR export consultation session from June 29 to 30. There was a high Interest in tteokbokki and rabokki (tteokbokki with Ramyeon Noodles) products in the form of cups or pouches during the consultations. A Korean tteokbokki exporter even signed a business agreement of USD 1.8 million with a buyer from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to pioneer tteokbokki export to the Middle East. This is a prime example of how the powerful popularity of Korean tteokbokki has continued since last year to the present.

#Popularity Various-Flavored Instant Tteokbokki in America
Korean instant tteokbokki is easily found in local U.S. supermarkets and online malls. U.S.-based Korean tteokbokki manufacturers emphasize the taste and convenience of the products, highlighting the ‘deliciously spicy’ of Korean gochujang, the sauce for tteokbokki, or the ‘harmony of spicy and sweet taste’ as the strengths. The ‘chewy texture’ and ‘fresh ingredients’ of rice cakes used to make tteokbokki are also rising as other feats of Korean instant tteokbokki. Since they are instant products, phrases such as ‘Easy to eat’ and ‘a simple 3-minute cooking product’ can be found. It is noteworthy that products have been diversified into the flavors preferred by American as well. Cheese, chicken, and jjajang (black bean) flavors are released to suit the taste of Americans who do not like spicy food unlike Koreans. This has widened the range of instant tteokbokki choices for American consumers.
Where do American consumers buy Korean tteokbokki? They usually prefer to purchase from offline supermarkets, but online orders have been rapidly these days increasing due to the growth of online distribution. An employee from a local U.S. supermarket said, “Americans tend to prefer tteokbokki which has both spicy and sweet tastes. The demand for cheese-flavored and dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) flavored tteokbokki is high recently. The variety of flavors will help attract more customers.”

#Tteokbokki Establishes Itself with Convenience and Spicy Taste in China
Among the HMR products sold in online malls, what is mentioned the most? The first place is definitely ramyeon, followed by tteokbokki. Korean instant tteokbokki is so popular in China because it is easy to eat with a strong spicy taste that prefer. One tteokbokki company, which is also famous in Korea for its spicy taste, has opened a branch in China and provides a delivery service. Its tteokbokki is very popular among people who can’t forget the taste of spicy tteokbokki in Korea.
It was found that many consumers bought tteokbokki from online shopping malls in China as snacks or meals for children. If they don’t have enough time to cook, they add other ingredients to HMR-type instant tteokbokki to cook. ‘Friends’ and ‘colleagues’ were analyzed as the keywords of the main consumers of tteokbokki, who cook and eat instant tteokbokki at outdoor activities, parties, and events. In addition to the simple cooking, the convenience of Korean instant tteokbokki served as an advantage to purchase.
Sung See-chan, Director of aT’s Shanghai branch, said, “The demand for instant tteokbokki is on the rise with the increased online consumption of instant food, such as home convenience food, due to the prolonging COVID-19. Cheese-flavored or cup-packaged Korean instant tteokbokki is especially the most purchased and consumed ones.”