The Korean soup of sliced rice cakes traditionally eaten on Seollal is tteokguk.
Tteokguk is made by simmering thin, oval slices of garaetteok in broth. Beef is common in modern versions, although chicken, pork, pheasant, seafood, or other stocks may be used. Typical garnishes include julienned egg, cooked meat, gim seaweed, spring onions, and sesame oil.
Eating tteokguk on Seollal, the Korean Lunar New Year, symbolizes a fresh start and is traditionally said to add one year to a person’s age. The white rice cakes represent purity, while their long cylindrical form is associated with longevity. The sliced ovals have also been compared with old Korean coins and wishes for prosperity.
The dish is documented in the nineteenth-century customs book Dongguksesigi, which describes serving it on New Year’s morning and asking how many bowls someone has eaten as a playful way to ask their age. Tteokguk is distinct from miyeokguk, a seaweed soup commonly associated with birthdays.