Seoul’s texture food trend
Seoul’s street‑food scene has a new obsession: ‘butter rice cake’ — a texture‑first snack that’s gone viral at late‑night stalls and markets this spring. (koreatimes.co.kr). Solo nightlife vlogs are amplifying the moment — a recent ex‑K‑pop idol ‘I Spent $100 in Seoul’ vlog (Apr 1) highlights the city’s kinetic late‑night eating and single‑traveler routes through food-and-party districts. (youtube.com)
Reports trace the butter‑rice‑cake wave back to Shanghai’s huangyou niangao (黄油年糕), which Korean outlets say spawned the current Korean version now being sold around Seoul. (en.sedaily.com)) Korean coverage describes the recipe as glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch mixed with milk, butter, sugar and eggs, baked so the exterior caramelizes into a crisp shell while the inside stays stretchy and chewy. (koreajoongangdaily.joins.com)) Search interest spiked sharply: Google Trends showed queries for “butter rice cake” jumping from near zero on Jan. 1 to the index peak of 100 by Jan. 10, with related searches such as “Shanghai butter rice cake” also rising. (en.sedaily.com)) Retail impact has been measurable — bakeries and cafes report long lines and delivery platforms list the item among top search terms, while small operators warn of volatile demand, inventory risk and rising ingredient costs when adding short‑lived menu items. (biz.chosun.com)) Multiple outlets explicitly compared the craze to this year’s earlier “Dubai chewy cookie” frenzy, calling butter rice cake the potential successor and noting how quickly one viral snack has eclipsed another. (koreatimes.co.kr)) The trend is also surfacing in creator content: an ex‑K‑pop creator’s new YouTube vlog titled “I Spent $100 in Seoul ALONE!” appears on the channel HYOKEY, which has been posting ex‑idol and Seoul travel content that features late‑night food stops. (youtube.com))
