"Boss, What Is This?" The 2,000 Won 'Pizza-Like Rice Cake' Causes a Sensation at Local Shops [Flavor File X]

Orders Surge at Neighborhood Rice Cake Shops as "Pizzaseolgi" Trend Spreads

Rising Preference for Chewy Texture Puts Spotlight on Fusion Rice Cakes Like Fruit Chapssaltteok

Rice Cake Sales Climb... "Adapting to Changing Times"

"There are so many people looking for it that we started making it again as soon as the Chuseok holiday ended. We make it fresh every morning and sell it on the same day."

This is what Mr. A, the owner of a rice cake shop in front of the traditional market in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, said on the 1st while arranging 'Pizza Seolgi', which is priced at 2,000 won per piece, on the display. Pizza Seolgi is a rice cake that resembles a pizza, made by topping Baekseolgi (a type of white rice cake) with tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, corn, and other ingredients. Pizza Seolgi is known to have been developed by Yeongdodari Tteokbang, a rice cake shop in Yeongdo, Busan, and has spread rapidly nationwide via social network services (SNS) since this spring.

In front of a traditional market in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, a rice cake shop has 'Pizza Seolgi' priced at 2,000 won each displayed on the stand. Photo by Hyunjin Jeong

Mr. A also started selling Pizza Seolgi from last month. Many customers buy it along with his regular rice cake products. During the Chuseok holiday, demand for Songpyeon (traditional rice cake) was so high that he did not make Pizza Seolgi for about a week. Mr. A noted, "It's gotten a lot of media attention and popularity, so not only young people but also older customers come in to buy one and try it," adding, "I plan to keep making and selling it for the time being."

Do you remember the 'Dubai Chewy Cookie' (Du Cheon Ku) craze that swept the nation earlier this year? Back then, not only major franchise bakeries but also cafes and bakeries nationwide saw lines of customers waiting to buy Du Cheon Ku. Afterwards, the pumpkin Injeolmi from Chang Eok Tteok, a local rice cake shop in Gwangju, also drew major attention, with large crowds flocking when the shop opened in the Seoul metropolitan area. Now, in the second half of the year, Pizza Seolgi is leading the dessert trend. New desserts that deliver a chewy texture, such as bread and rice cakes, continue to appear on the market.

To summarize the food trend of this year in one phrase, it could be called "the chewy year of 2026." At the center of this trend are rice cakes celebrated for their chewy and elastic texture. There's even a new phrase, "Tteok Pilgrimage" (tteok + pilgrimage), referring to people traveling to popular shops or distribution channels to buy these trendy rice cakes. In this edition of Flavor File X, we explore the traditional Korean dessert rice cake trend that has captured the entire nation's attention.

Local Rice Cake Shops Join the Trend: "Ordering Pepperoni, Increasing Rice Supply"

The Pizza Seolgi craze has changed the ingredient orders for neighborhood rice cake shops.

On the 4th, The Asia Business Daily examined order data from about 150 rice cake shop owners using Sikbom, an online food ingredient open market operated by Marketboro, a subsidiary of CJ Freshway.

Orders for pizza cheese, the core ingredient of Pizza Seolgi, increased dramatically. In the second quarter of this year, there were only 7 orders for pizza cheese, but in the third quarter, this number surged to 477. Notably, orders placed in just the past month accounted for 94% of the third quarter's total, showing that the Pizza Seolgi trend firmly took root in neighborhood rice cake shops during the past month.

Of course, other ingredients are also required to make Pizza Seolgi. Orders for pizza sauce jumped from 2 in the second quarter to 271 in the third quarter, more than a 130-fold increase. Orders for pepperoni surged from 4 to 261 during the same period, while orders for corn and black olives each grew from 1 in the second quarter to 126 and 100, respectively, in the third quarter. Orders for rice, used for Baekseolgi, also more than doubled from 275 to 566.

Earlier this year, during the Du Cheon Ku craze, there was a shortage of pistachios and kataifi, the core ingredients. We asked if the Pizza Seolgi trend is now causing similar raw material supply issues. An industry official commented, "Pistachios and kataifi are produced in such small quantities that the impact was significant back then," but "the main ingredients for Pizza Seolgi are in ample supply, so it does not seem to affect prices."

Beyond Pizza Seolgi, another rising trend in rice cakes is fruit-stuffed Chapssaltteok, which features glutinous rice cakes filled with fruit such as tangerines, strawberries, and kiwi. 'Han Jung Sun', a modern reinterpretation of Chapssaltteok, started on Seongsu-dong Cafe Street and has become popular by word of mouth. Recently, when visiting the Han Jung Sun store at Seoul Station, there was a sizable line on a weekday evening, and some customers reported waiting an hour on the weekend just to make a purchase.

As the trend for chewy-textured rice cakes continues this year, food and restaurant companies are releasing related products. Last month, GS25 introduced a frozen dessert that reinterpreted Han Jung Sun's signature Yogurt Chapssaltteok, which has enjoyed great popularity. In August, The Venti launched the yogurt dessert brand 'Yogobora' and began selling 'Yogomochi', a dessert with Greek yogurt, peach, and corn inside Chapssaltteok. Paris Baguette’s 'Choco Chewy Churros', also known for its chewy texture, surpassed 1.7 million units sold just one month after its release.

Fusion Rice Cakes in the Spotlight: Sales Nearing 1 Trillion Won

The current rice cake trend seems to be less about preserving traditional flavor and more about highlighting a chewy texture and blending in novel ingredients. In addition to Pizza Seolgi and fruit Chapssaltteok, there are products that put fresh cream into Chapssaltteok, or roll pumpkin Injeolmi in castella crumbs instead of the usual roasted bean powder. These hybrid desserts simultaneously evoke rice cakes, cakes, and pies, blurring boundaries and targeting the tastes of younger generations.

Limited Edition Yogurt Chapssaltteok Released by GS25. Provided by GS25

In fact, the evolution of rice cakes has been ongoing for some time.

Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) reported in its 2023 'Processed Food Segment Market Report: Rice Cake & Hangwa' that the culture of enjoying food as dessert is becoming established, with more stores treating rice cakes and Hangwa as desserts. The report noted that new products tailored to changing tastes and preferences, such as strawberry cream cheese rice cake, are being developed. During this period, retro and 'grandmillennial' (halmeni + millennial) trends fueled renewed interest in rice cakes and traditional snacks, and the spread of the well-being movement drove demand for processed foods made with rice instead of flour.

At the same time, rice cake distribution technology and infrastructure have diversified, expanding the rice cake market. In the past, rice cakes were sold primarily at local mills or specialty shops, but now, logistics systems developed by companies make refrigerated and frozen delivery possible. Additionally, online ordering and transaction systems are more advanced and systematic, so nationwide—and even exports—are now possible. This is why it has become feasible to sell fusion rice cakes with diverse ingredients over long distances.

As a result, rice cake consumption has increased every year. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' report on "Domestic Sales by Product Category," domestic sales of rice cakes increased from 564.1 billion won in 2018 to 962.4 billion won last year—a 71% increase over seven years. Amid the current nationwide craze for chewy textures, attention is focused on whether sales will surpass 1 trillion won this year.

As 100th-Day and First-Birthday Rice Cakes Fade, Local Shops Struggle: "Adapting to the Trends of the Times"

A week before Chuseok, the biggest national holiday, people visiting the Seongnam Moran Traditional Market on the 9th's five-day market are purchasing ritual items such as fruits, fish, and rice cakes. Photo by Yongjun Jo jun21@

With more Millennials & Gen Z seeking rice cakes that appeal to their tastes, you might expect more foot traffic headed to local rice cake shops. According to the Korea Rice Cake Processed Food Association, there are now about 20,000 rice cake shops nationwide. However, in the past three years, the number of local rice cake shops has been declining. Even though new demand for products like Pizza Seolgi and fruit Chapssaltteok has emerged, large bulk orders for 100th-day or first-birthday celebrations, which sustained shops in the past, have dropped.

An association representative explained, "Some young people have entered the market and opened local rice cake shops, but with aging trends and other factors, closures have increased. Shops with more capital have leveraged SNS to grow sales and expand exports, likely increasing their sales." The source continued, "As consumer preferences change, rice cakes are adapting to the times. With food choices diversifying, traditional rice cakes are no longer stuck in the past, and new products are continuously being developed."

When was the last time you visited a neighborhood rice cake shop? Do you know which of your local stores are selling trending Pizza Seolgi? As the autumn breeze sets in, why not visit your local shop to savor both traditional rice cakes and the latest dessert trends? I hope you enjoy a relaxing weekend filled with small delights that bring joy to your palate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.