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"그림의 떡 (pronunciation: geurimae ddeok); A prize beyond one´s reach"

"누워서 떡먹기 (pronunciation: nuwesu ddeok meokki); A piece of cake"

"떡 줄 사람 생각도 않는데 김칫국부터 마신다. (pronunciation: ddeok jul saram saenggakdo annunde kimchikukbooteo masinda); Don't count your chickens before they're hatched"

The above-mentioned Korean proverbs all include the word "ddeok", which means "rice cake." Since you can frequently hear this word in routine Korean life, you can imagine the importance of ddeok to Korean people. When rice was the main dish, a long time ago in Korea, people regarded ddeok as a rare dish or a light meal, So ddeok is very familiar to Koreans, and has a special meaning for them. Because of this, we're going to investigate various features of ddeok in this article.

* photo by naver
Delicious ddeok

* photo by naver
The gift set of ddeok

Do you know how ddeok is made? Steaming or boiling varous kinds of wheat powder is a method for ddeok since the agricultural age in Korea. This fact is recorded in the Samgogsagi- ancient history books written by the Confucian and scholar Kim, Bu-sik, about 1000 years ago.

Our Korean ancestors started to eat ddeok about 1600 years ago, and took it to Japan. Ddeok is made of various powdered grains, and therefore mirrors the development of agriculture. In the late Chosun period (the 1600s), for example, diverse grains and fruits, etc. were introduced from China, and the types of ddeok became more diverse as a consequence. After the 1900s, however, the culture and society of Korea experienced a great many changes, and as a result, the popularity of ddeok decreased, in favor of cake and bread.

* photo by daum
A number of ddeok

* photo by daum
Pumkin ddeoks

Recently. ddeok-makers have responded to the current fashion by bringing ddeok up to date. Ddeok cake is now on the market and is often wrapped in neat, attractive paper and refined boxes. More and more people are buying such well-decorated wrapped ddeok. especially young people and foreigners, who have not previously had the opportunity to try it for themselves. They typically really enjoy ddeok, once they taste it. Another reason for the increased popularity of ddeok is that its sugar content is low and it is a healthy food. Due to the well-being syndrome, people are turning to ddeok instead of bread. Youngyang ddeok, one of the most popular brands these days, is made of several healthy grain powders.

* photo by daum
Diverse ddeok

* photo by daum
Healthy ddeok

As a Korean, you might have heard of the following customs: i) When you eat rice-cake soup on New Year's Day, you really become your age; ii) When you make songpyon (a kind of half-moon-shaped ddeok eaten at Chosuk-August 15th by the lunar calendar) you will have beautiful children; iii) When you eat well-cooked songpyon made by yourself, you will have a son. Otherwise you will have a daughter; iv) When a baby fell into an old-style lavatory, our ancestors said the toilet god was hungry. They exorcised the god in order to avoid the baby's death, and then they shared Ddong-ddeok with each other. Otherwise, they believed that someone would be hurt or injured.

* photo by naver
The rice cake

* photo by naver
A kind of ddeok of Injulmi

As mentioned above, it is easy to recognize the importance of ddeok in Korean society. Neighbors show their appreciation of each other (Jung) by giving and receiving ddeok. Many people consider ddeok as a type of medication, since our ancestors developed ddeok as a healthy food, containing diverse ingredients. If you would like to buy a variety of ddeok in Daegu, you can go to Yummae market. In the cold winter time, you can warm your heart with delicious ddeok.