Published Date : Nov 27, 2018 / Edited Date : Jun 30, 2023
Taste of Seoul ,
Never-ending Transformation of the
Rice Cake
It can be a little disheartening to realize there are a limited number of days left until the end of this year. As last year’s resolutions start to rush through your mind, you try to remember which ones you’ve kept and which ones you didn’t. While there are some people who feel relatively satisfied with how they spent the past year, there’s also some who are mostly filled with regrets. The end of the year isn’t always as romantic as you think it’d be. In fact, most people tend to feel gloomier, especially as the holiday season arrives.
The sun sets earlier and the weather gets colder in winter, making people shrink and withdraw into themselves, eliminating all traces of serotonin, the happiness hormone. Luckily, there’s one very simple and easy way to increase the level of your happiness hormone.
There’s a reason why people turn to sugar when they’re feeling down and tired. There's nothing more effective than tasting something sweet to cure people from their lethargic, gloomy state. In fact, it’s a pretty well known that sugar contributes to the release of dopamine, another happiness hormone. Just in time for this upcoming Christmas season, we’ve prepared a list of unique rice cake desserts to sweeten up your cold winter holidays!
1. Chocolate coated rice cake, Chocolate Chal-tteok (Rice Cake) Bar
2. Sandwich with rice cake instead of bread Tteok (Rice Cake) Sandwich
3. Rice cake (made from carrot, tofu, and castella) with red bean and butter, Angbeotteok (Red Bean and Butter Rice Cake)
You can’t go wrong with chocolate covered food. Shaped like the familiar Häagen-Da** ice cream, it's as if you're eating an ice cream bar. The cakes, madeleine, and chocolate truffles sold here are all made out of rice cake and on a whole different level than normal rice cakes. Attracting many customers with their stunning visuals and sweet aroma, the desserts can also be made through cooking classes offered by the shop, providing visitors with another way to enjoy this delicious snack.
1F, 57 Banpo-daero 21-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul +82-2-2055-0403
RoyaD, a shortened combination of the words “Royal” and “Dessert”, uses only the best ingredients to make all its handmade goods. Out of the many sweets lining up their display, their most eye-catching dessert is their Tteok (Rice Cake) Sandwich. While most would be dubious about the taste, Tteok Sandwich has been found to taste better than expected. Substituting the bread of a sandwich for pieces of rice cake, the sandwich has a refreshingly sweet taste. It’s a sweet and healthy snack popular among businessmen and women who are always on the go.
Derived from the “an” in Japanese anko (red bean paste), Ang butter bread has become a major hit in Korea, spreading to bakeries and cafes everywhere. Normally, ciabatta or baguette is used for the bread, but this place uses rice cake. Rice cakes made from carrot, tofu, and castella are filled with butter and red bean paste, leading to a refreshingly light taste. This particular menu is so popular that it’s almost always sold out, making it crucial for visitors to check first if they have it in stock before going to the store.
1F, 87 Seongsui-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul +82-507-1441-5542
There’s an old Korean saying which states “Good looking rice cake tastes good.” That saying perfectly describes this place. As soon as you think the rice cake is too pretty to eat, you’ll find that it has already gone into your mouth. The color of their baekseolgi (snow white rice cake) is calming to the eye and the texture isn’t as rough or grainy as other baekseolgi. Served neatly on ceramic plates, the desserts give off a traditional and very Korean vibe.
Before, rice cakes were buried under the popularity of foreign baked goods and desserts due to how rice cakes weren't quite meals and yet not quite desserts. However, things have changed. Combined with other ingredients, traditional rice cakes have transformed into a new type of modern dessert to be seen and enjoyed, attracting many to seek them out again for their newfound novelty.
본 코스는 보행약자(거동이 불편한 고령자, 장애인, 유모차 이용자 등)를 위한 코스입니다.
보호자를 동반하지 않을 시 이용이 불가능 합니다.※ 보행약자 1명당 보호자 최소 1인 이상 동반 ※ 전동보장구(전동휠체어, 전동스쿠터 등) 사용자의 경우 보호자 1인당 보행약자 최대 4인까지 동반 가능
희망하시는 날짜 및 코스에 활동가능한 해설사가 없는 경우 예약은 취소될 수 있습니다.
예약확인을 위해 도보관광 사무국(02-6925-0777)에서 확인 연락이 진행됩니다.(최소 5일~한달 전)3회 이상 전화통화가 이뤄지지 않을 시 예약이 취소될 수 있습니다.
해설 진행 시 발생하는 안전사고에 대해서 도보관광 사무국과 서울문화관광해설사는 책임을 지지 않습니다.
미세먼지 비상저감조치 발령 및 기타 기상악화(폭염, 태풍, 폭우 등)로 인해 도보관광 운영이 어려운 경우 모든 예약은 일괄 취소됩니다. (관광일 전날 기준)
Reservations must be made at least three days prior to the tour date.
Additional reservations, one or two days before the tour starts, are only allowed for the tour that is already fixed.
In the case of group tour, more than 10people, please contact us by e-mail.
Reservations for the following month are available from the 15th of the current month.
Please refrain from participating in any tour programs should you be experiencing any symptoms, including fever, coughing, congestion, muscle pain, stuffy nose, and/or sore throat.
Reservations for tourists 14 years & under without an accompanying adult or guardian shall be canceled on site.
All reservations will be canceled in the event of a weather warning being issued. (e.g. heatwave, typhoon, heavy rain, fine dust, etc.) (Cancellation will be processed immediately upon implementation)
※ Please always check the weather warning on the day of the reservation on the site below.
(https://www.accuweather.com/en/kr/seoul/226081/weather-forecast/226081)
The Seoul Guided Walking Tour administration office and tour guide affiliates are not responsible for any accidents that happen to occur during the tour program.
Reservation shall be made at least 1 week before the tour day.
The course is for tourists with mobility problems (Senior, people with disability, stroller user).
You may not use the course without an assistant (or companion) ※ At least one assistant shall accompany a tourist with mobility problem ※ In case of electric assisting device users (electric wheelchair, electric scooter users), one assistant may accompany up to 4 tourists with mobility problem
Reservation may be canceled when a guide is unavailable on the desired date and course.
Seoul Guided Walking Tour Office (02-6925-0777) will contact you to confirm reservation. (At least 5 days~1 month before tour day) Reservation may be canceled when Seoul Guided Walking Tour Office cannot reach you for more than 3 times.
Seoul Guided Walking Tour Office and Seoul culture and tourism guide are not liable for the safety accidents during the Seoul Guided Walking Tour.
All reservations will be canceled in the event of a weather warning being issued. (e.g. heatwave, typhoon, heavy rain, fine dust, etc.) (Cancellation will be processed immediately upon implementation)
※ Please always check the weather warning on the day of the reservation on the site below.
(https://www.accuweather.com/en/kr/seoul/226081/weather-forecast/226081)