[1][2] Eomuk (fish cakes), boiled eggs, and scallions are some common ingredients paired with tteokbokki in dishes.

Tteokbokki is commonly purchased and eaten at bunsikjip (snack bars) as well as pojangmacha (street stalls).

The first record on tteokbokki appears in Siuijeonseo, a 19th-century cookbook, where the dish was listed using the archaic spelling steokbokgi (ᄯᅥᆨ복기).

The name tteokbokki also appears in the revised and enlarged edition of Chosŏn mussang sinsik yorijepŏp [ko], where it is described as a soy sauce-based savory dish.

Realizing that it tasted good, she developed the idea of seasoning tteok in the Korean chili sauce, gochujang.

Today, the typical tteokbokki purchased and eaten at bunsikjip (snack bars) and pojangmacha (street stalls) are red and spicy, while the soy sauce-based, non-spicy version is referred to as gungjung-tteokbokki (궁중떡볶이; lit.

Rice tteok rose in popularity as the South Korean economy developed, and various versions of the dish have proliferated since.

Gochugaru (chili powder) is often added for additional heat and color, while mullyeot (rice syrup) helps with sweetness and consistency.

Eomuk (fish cakes), boiled eggs, and diagonally sliced scallions are common additions to the dish.

In gireum-tteokbokki, the mixture of gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar or syrup, and sesame oil often replaces gochujang (chili paste).

Soft tteok sticks are seasoned with the sauce mixture, then stir-fried in cooking oil with a handful of chopped scallions and served.

[10] Its history dates back to a royal court dish before the introduction of chili pepper to the Korean peninsula in the mid-Joseon era (17th and 18th centuries).

[11] Having a taste similar to japchae (stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables), it was enjoyed by the royals as a banchan and as a snack.

[5] Other ingredients such as mung bean sprouts, carrots, onions, dried Korean zucchini, garlic, and shiitake mushrooms are also common.

This variation may include mala sauce, wide glass noodles, and bok choy in addition to traditional tteokbokki ingredients.

Outside of Korea, Shanghainese chǎo niángāo (炒年糕) is a stir-fried dish made with tteok-like rice cakes sliced into flat oval shapes, scallions, beef, pork and cabbage.