Busan market food

Busan Tteokbokki — Thick Whole Rice Cakes, Mulddeok and How to Eat Market Tteokbokki in Busan

Long, finger-thick rice cakes simmered whole in red sauce, with fish-cake broth and mulddeok on the side

By Busan.net editors · Published Nov 3, 2026 · 한국어로 보기

Busan market tteokbokki (부산 떡볶이) is known for its thick, long rice cakes (garaetteok), sometimes simmered whole without cutting, in a thick sweet-and-spicy red sauce. At the stalls of Gukje Market and Bupyeong Kkangtong Market it is sold next to a pot of fish cakes and mulddeok — rice cake skewers soaked in hot fish-cake broth. Because the rice cakes are long, you cut them with scissors or bite and dip. This guide explains what makes it different, where to find it and how to order.

Busan tteokbokki in one line

The first thing you notice about Busan market tteokbokki is how thick and long the rice cakes are. Stalls simmer rice cakes thicker than a finger — some leave them whole — in a red, glossy sauce. Next to the pan there is almost always a pot of fish cakes and mulddeok in broth, and eating the three together is the classic Busan snack scene.

Korean	떡볶이 (tteokbokki) — tteok 떡 (rice cake) + bokki 볶이 (stir-fried / simmered)
Made of	Rice cakes (rice flour), gochujang and chili-based sauce, sugar, often fish cake and green onion. Sauce recipes differ by stall.
Diet notes	The rice cakes are rice, but sauces and broth often contain fish (fish cake, anchovy stock) — usually not vegetarian. Ask if you have allergies.
Spice	Medium spicy and sweet. Fish-cake broth helps cool your mouth.
When	An afternoon or evening snack while walking the markets.

Thick rice cakes — what makes Busan tteokbokki different

A 2009 article on tteokbokki rice cakes (Ilgan Sports) noted that the rice cakes at Busan's famous tteokbokki shops are mostly thick — the width of a full garaetteok stick and 10–15 cm long, though many shops now cut them into 2–3 cm pieces. Shops that put long rice cakes in whole have been featured in TV programs and articles many times.

• Rice-flour garaetteok: thick and chewy, they hold their shape even after long simmering, and the sauce coats them in a thick layer.
• Reduced sauce: many stalls simmer the sauce for a long time until it turns thick, so the flavor soaks in. Each stall's sauce tastes a little different.
• Always with fish cakes: Busan is a fish-cake city, so the tteokbokki pan nearly always sits next to a fish-cake pot. See our Busan eomuk (fish cake) guide.

We could not find a clear record of when Busan started using thick rice cakes. It is more accurate to say each market and stall has kept its own slightly different style.

Mulddeok — rice cakes soaked in fish-cake broth

Mulddeok (물떡, “water rice cake”) is a Busan snack of rice cake sticks on skewers left to soak in hot fish-cake broth until soft (Toyo Economy, 2012). You can eat it as it is, warm and soft with the broth soaked in, or dip it once in the tteokbokki sauce to get both flavors. Some articles call Busan the home of mulddeok, but there is no confirmed record of where it started.

It is cheap, warm and easy to eat standing up, which makes it a good first try if you are not sure about spicy food.

Where to eat it — Gukje Market and Bupyeong Kkangtong Market

The easiest place to find Busan market tteokbokki is the area around Gukje Market and Bupyeong Kkangtong Market in Jung-gu. The Gukje Market food alley has a tteokbokki alley alongside the bibim dangmyeon and bingsu alleys, with stalls selling street food (Toyo Economy, 2012). Bupyeong Kkangtong Market is also lined with snack shops and fish-cake shops.

Getting there	Metro Line 1 to Jagalchi or Nampo Station, then a 5–10 minute walk. Both markets are next to each other and connect to the Nampo-dong shopping streets.
Make it a market walk	Pair it with bibim dangmyeon, yubu jumeoni (stuffed tofu pouches, Korean page) and ssiat hotteok.
Other areas	Haeundae Market and Namcheon-dong in Suyeong-gu also have long-running tteokbokki shops.

We don't rank or recommend specific shops. Prices and opening hours vary by stall.

How to eat it

1. Use scissors: if the rice cakes are long, ask the vendor to cut them or cut them yourself with the scissors on the counter. You can also bite and dip back into the sauce.
2. A cup of broth: sip hot fish-cake broth between spicy bites. At many stalls it comes free with fish cakes.
3. Dip the mulddeok: dip a mulddeok skewer in the tteokbokki sauce to taste both at once.
4. Start small: portions are generous, so one serving is enough when you are sharing several snacks.

Street stalls may close in bad weather or early in the evening; for late snacks, look for snack shops inside the market buildings.

Ordering in Korean

Tteokbokki, one serving please	떡볶이 1인분 주세요 (tteokbokki il-inbun juseyo)
Could you cut it, please?	잘라 주세요 (jalla juseyo)
Two mulddeok, please	물떡 두 개 주세요 (mulddeok du gae juseyo)
Less spicy, please	덜 맵게 해 주세요 (deol maepge hae juseyo) — not every stall can change the sauce
To go, please	포장해 주세요 (pojang hae juseyo)

FAQ

Sources

• 국제시장 먹자골목, 부산의 별미가 다 모였다 — Toyo Economy (토요경제), Nov 2, 2012
• [백년맛집] 쌀떡·밀가루떡·칼라떡까지…떡볶이 떡도 다양해 — Ilgan Sports (일간스포츠), Mar 25, 2009
• '가래떡 통째'로 들어가… 부산 떡볶이 클라스 — Insight (인사이트), Jul 3, 2018

Prices, sauces and opening hours differ by stall. This article is a food explainer, not a restaurant ranking or advertisement.