The Korean rice-cake soup traditionally eaten during Seollal is tteokguk.
Tteokguk is made with thinly sliced white garaetteok, a long cylindrical rice cake, simmered in broth. Beef broth is common today, though chicken, pheasant, pork, seafood, and regional stocks also appear. Typical garnishes include egg strips, seaweed, scallions, sesame oil, and meat.
The dish is tied to New Year symbolism. Its white color suggests purity and a fresh beginning, while the round slices can evoke old Korean coins and wishes for prosperity. Traditionally, eating a bowl was also associated with gaining a year of age, prompting the playful question, “How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?”
Tteokguk is strongly associated with Seollal but is not exclusively a holiday dish; Koreans may eat it throughout the year. It is also distinct from miyeokguk, seaweed soup, and samgyetang, a ginseng-and-chicken dish.