Tteokgalbi

📖What it is

• Tteok means rice cake and galbi means ribs. There's no rice cake in it: the name comes from the way the meat is kneaded and shaped like one.
• The seasoning usually includes soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar and sesame oil, and the patty is traditionally grilled over charcoal or wood.
• Styles differ by region. Damyang's version is all beef, thick and round, while Songjeong in Gwangju mixes beef and pork. Pork and duck versions exist today too.

🥢How to eat it

1. 1Eat it with rice and side dishes. Many restaurants serve it as part of a set meal.
2. 2Many shops now serve it off the bone, so chopsticks are all you need.

🏛️History

• It's usually linked to the Joseon royal court, but the reasons given differ. One story says a king shouldn't be seen gnawing meat off a bone; another says minced meat was easier to digest.
• In the Joseon era it was known as hyo-galbi ("filial piety ribs") or no-galbi ("elder ribs"), because older people with weak teeth could eat it easily. The name tteokgalbi only appeared around the late 1960s.
• Songjeong's version dates to the 1950s, when Choe Jeo-ja began selling it there, and the area now has a street of tteokgalbi restaurants.