Duteoptteok and Jatseolgi

Duteoptteok, 3500 won 

Jatseolgi, 2500 won

Biwon Tteokjip

If you’re in shopping in Seoul and want to also indulge in a little time-travel, check out the shops officially designated as “oraegagye” by the local government. Since 2017, this program has celebrated “oldest” shops that have been open for more than 30 years, have had more than two generations of leadership, or have an owner recognized as a holder of intangible cultural heritage.   

Biwon Tteokjip is a oraegagye shop selling traditional Korea confectionery near the Gyeongbokgung Palace. The business was founded in 1949 on the strength of royal court recipes shared by the last imperial cuisine master of the Joseson Dynasty. As far as I can tell, Biwon is still operated by the original owner’s extended family. 

The shop looks extremely modern and rather bland from outside, but when you get through the glass doors there’s a gleaming display case covered in black lacquer and lavishly inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The case holds the day’s offerings—all conveniently labeled in both Korean and English. 

 

Plump and plushy duteoptteok is a dumpling about the size of sleeping hamster, made from sticky rice, white beans, walnuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, jujube, honey, and citron—it’s a lot of textures and flavors in a cuddly little package! Jatseolgi is a comparatively stripped-down square of just white rice and pine nuts; the texture is both sticky and cake-like, with the clean sweetness of the rice allowing the scent and flavor of the pine nuts to shine. 

Biwon Tteokjip
33-1 Bukchon-ro
Jongno-ku

Seoul