Popular 'Kkulddok Cereal' Recipe on Overseas SNS
Reverse Import Phenomenon Spreading Back to Korea
Recently, unique recipes using the traditional Korean food ggultteok have gained popularity overseas. Such recipes are also spreading on domestic social networking services (SNS), creating a reverse import phenomenon.
Currently, searching for ‘ggultteok cereal’ on SNS platforms like TikTok and YouTube reveals short-form content created by users from various cultures.
Ggultteok cereal is a dessert made by pouring milk over ggultteok. It is an adaptation of the Western style of pouring milk over cereal.
Overseas influencers have praised it, saying things like “ggultteok is softer and better when eaten with milk” and “it’s chewier and tastier than regular cereal.” It is notable that this combination became known first on foreign SNS rather than domestic ones.
Pouring milk over honey rice cakes to make a dessert [Image source=Captured from YouTube channel ‘lily_living’]
Related export volumes are also increasing. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the export value of rice-processed foods such as tteok and rice snacks reached $250 million (approximately 350 billion KRW) from January to October this year, marking an increase of over 40% compared to the same period last year. This is analyzed as a result of Korean cuisine gaining global attention through ‘K-content’ such as dramas and movies.
This dessert has also sparked a reverse import phenomenon on domestic SNS. Domestic YouTubers and netizens who have tried ggultteok cereal express amazement, saying, “I don’t know why we didn’t think of this method first.”
Experts say, “Domestically, people tend to stick to the traditional ways of eating, but foreigners can view it from a new perspective,” diagnosing that foreigners’ interest in K-food is being experimentally expressed.
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