TTEOKBOKKI, a popular Korean snack made from rice cakes and red chili pepper sauce, has been voted the No. 1 food to lift people’s spirits during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Seoul’s city government said today.

In an online survey in September, the government asked people to name their favourite comfort food and received more than 10,000 responses from across the country, reports the Yonhap news agency.

Tteokbokki topped the list, followed by fried chicken, kimchi stew, pork belly, samgyetang (chicken and ginseng soup), instant noodles, doenjang (soybean paste) stew, cake, beef and chicken feet.

Foods that did not make it into the top 10 included pizza, ice cream, galbijjim (beef rib stew), kimchi and seaweed soup, the government said.

The survey was carried out as part of Taste of Seoul, a culinary event that will run across the capital city from November 11-15.

More than half, or 57%, of participants were women, with people in their 20s and 30s accounting for the largest age group at 61%.

The city government said voters also gave various reasons for choosing their favourite comfort foods. – Bernama, October 17, 2020.