Tteok-galbi

Tteok-galbi (), literally translated to "cake ribs" as tteok () means "rice (or other grain) cake" and galbi () means "rib". The name comes from the food's similarity in appearance to tteok. The process of kneading and shaping the meat is similar to the process of making a rice cake. The final dish is also soft and tender, much like a rice cake in texture. The word tteok-galbi has a relatively short history that starts in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Before that, the dish was called hyo-galbi (), meaning "filial piety ribs", or no-galbi (), meaning "elder ribs", as it was often a dish for older people whose teeth were too weak to bite off meat from the rib bones. The term may have been coined at the historic restaurant Sinsikdang. Both the terms hyo-galbi and no-galbi were used during the Joseon era (1392–1897). == History ==

Tteok-galbi was a beef dish in Korean royal court cuisine. == Preparation ==

Meat is separated from beef short ribs, finely minced, and marinated with various seasonings and aromatics, such as salt, ground black pepper, ginger juice, soy sauce, minced garlic, minced onion, cheongju (rice wine), sugar, and sesame oil. The marinade is boiled, sifted, and cooled beforehand. The marinated meat is shaped and attached back to the rib bones using a small amount of wheat flour as glue, and char-grilled over oak. Once on the gridiron, the meat patty is brushed with the sauce while it is grilled. Songjeong tteok-galbi is made by shaping a mixture of beef and pork into rectangles and grilling. Pork is added to make it fattier since the beef is too dry by itself. The recipe of Choe Jeo-ja calls for hand-kneading the meat for a long time in a seasoning made from nearly 20 ingredients including dasima (kelp), pear and honey. The sauce is intermittently brushed on the meat while it is slowly grilled over charcoal. == Eating ==

Chopsticks are used to cut tteok-galbi. == See also ==