Ddeok, a korean traditional food

Ddeok.

I just can’t get enough of delicious cuisines.

So, today I will introduce a korean traditional food, Ddeok.

Ddeok is basically about the same as a western bread.

The only difference is in that a bread is baked in the oven using flour dough, whereas Ddeok uses rice flour instead.

You can make a variety of Ddeoks using varying types of grains, dried fruits, and some kinds of nuts just as with bread.

Shiru-Ddeok

A kind of Ddeok baked with boiled and mashed red beans placed on top of macerated and grinded sticky rices. Sometimes dried pumpkins or peas poached with sugar are included to add the flavour.

Baekseolgi

Baked using macerated and grinded rice flour. In Korea, it is the Ddeok to be shared with neighbors to celebrate a baby’s first birthday or 100 days after the birth. The name means food so flawlessly pure and sacred.

Songpyeon

A variety of Ddeok baked with rice flour. The flour is first kneaded with hot water, then filled with red bean paste or chestnut mash to be baked with some pine needles. Normal bean paste or roasted sesame can serve as alternatives for the stuffing. The Ddeok is usually eaten on the Korean traditional holiday of Chuseok.

Jeolpyeon

Bake rice flour, knead it until the lump is well binded, then stamp it with a shape cast. The taste is light and plain. You can experience the best of it by dipping it in honey. Jeolpyeon is also my favourite Ddeok in fact.

Duteop-Ddeok

The Ddeok was served in case of the king’s birthday. It is made using red beans, sticky rice flour, honey chestnuts, dates, walnuts, citron syrup, pine nuts and cinnamon as ingredients. It tastes simply fantastic.

Chal-Ddeok

Basically it is baked using sticky rice flour and plenty of other ingredients. Nowadays, people enjoy this as a substitute for breakfast in Korea.

And an almost endless list of more traditional Ddeoks is out there.

 

Lately, petite Ddeok cafes began to spread into numerous streets of Korea, selling sliced Ddeoks and traditional tea. If you ever have a chance to visit Korea, don’t forget to let yourself have a bite on these tasty Ddeoks!