OMG you guys, the K-food cycle is literally moving at warp speed!!
Okay so, I was doing my usual 3 AM scroll through TheQoo (don’t judge, it’s for research!) and I noticed something wild. It feels like just yesterday we were all losing our minds over Dubai Chocolate Cookies, and then suddenly everyone was doing the Kang Ho-dong ‘Bomdong’ challenge. But guess what? The internet has already moved on. The new obsession that’s currently living rent-free in everyone’s head is something called ‘Butter Tteok’ (버터떡), and honestly? I have thoughts. Lots of them. It’s like as soon as we finish one trend, the algorithm just shoves another one down our throats before we can even digest the last one. I’m literally screaming at how fast this is happening!
Yesterday, March 10, was like the official breakout day for this. My entire TikTok and Instagram feeds were nothing but people air-frying these golden, square-shaped cakes. If you haven’t seen them yet, they’re basically a Korean-fied version of a traditional Shanghai dessert called ‘Huangyao Niangao.’ But of course, in true K-trend fashion, we’ve added a ton of butter and sugar to make it peak aesthetic for the ‘gram. The tags are already blowing up with thousands of posts, and it’s giving me major FOMO, but also… are we okay? Like, do we actually like the food or are we just obsessed with the 15 seconds of clout we get for posting it?
Wait, what exactly is Butter Tteok? Let’s break it down!
For those of you who aren’t deep in the food-tok trenches, Butter Tteok is being marketed as the ultimate ‘geot-ba-sok-jjon’ (겉바속쫀) snack. That’s Korean slang for ‘crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside,’ and it is basically the holy grail of textures in Seoul right now. The recipe is actually suspiciously simple, which is probably why it’s going viral so fast. You just mix melted butter, milk, eggs, and sugar, then fold in glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch. Pop that bad boy in a 180-degree oven or air fryer, and boom—you have this weirdly addictive, chewy cake that smells like a bakery exploded in your kitchen.
The secret ingredient here is definitely the tapioca starch. It gives it that bouncy, mochi-like pull that looks incredible in slow-motion videos. I saw one creator stretch a piece of Butter Tteok for like five seconds and I was deceased. But here’s the thing: while it looks like a masterpiece, it’s basically just pure carbs and fat. Not that I’m complaining (I live for carbs!), but it’s definitely designed to be ‘visual food’ first and actual sustenance second. The way the butter bubbles on the surface while it’s baking? That is pure ASMR bait, and the influencers know exactly what they’re doing.
I’ve noticed that the most popular versions right now are adding extra toppings like honey, condensed milk, or even soybean powder (인절미 가루) to really lean into that traditional-meets-modern vibe. It’s very ‘Halmeoni-core’ but with a Gen-Z twist. But honestly, how many of these ‘outer-crispy-inner-chewy’ snacks can we possibly have? We’ve had Croffles, we’ve had Yakgwa cookies, we’ve had the Dubai Chocolate craze… it’s starting to feel like we’re just recycling the same texture over and over again with different names.
The ‘Forced Trend’ fatigue is real and the comments are WILD
Not everyone is boarding the Butter Tteok hype train, though. In fact, a lot of people in the Korean online communities are starting to get seriously annoyed. On the hot post I found, which already has over 11,000 views, the top comments were actually kind of savage. People are calling this an ‘Eok-ji Yu-haeng’ (억지 유행), which basically means a ‘forced’ or ‘manufactured’ trend. It’s the feeling that the industry and influencers are working together to make us think something is popular just so we’ll buy it.
“I feel like I’m being gaslit by my own Explore page. Who decided Butter Tteok was the thing today? I didn’t vote for this!” – One very stressed TheQoo user
Another commenter pointed out how exhausting it is to keep up: “Yesterday it was Dubai chocolate, this morning it was Bomdong, and now I have to go buy glutinous rice flour for this? My wallet and my stomach literally cannot keep up with 2026. Can we just eat regular rice for a week?” And honestly? Same. I feel like we’re all trapped in this endless loop of ‘The Next Big Thing.’ It’s like the food version of fast fashion. We consume it, post it, and then throw it away (mentally) within 48 hours.
There’s this growing sense of cynicism that these trends aren’t happening naturally anymore. Back in the day, something would go viral because it was actually revolutionary. Now, it feels like there’s a template: it has to be easy to make, it has to look good in a 9:16 vertical video, and it has to have a catchy nickname like ‘Du-jjon-ku’ or ‘Butter Tteok.’ If it checks those boxes, the algorithm will push it to the moon, whether it actually tastes good or not. It makes you wonder—if TikTok crashed tomorrow, would anyone actually be making Butter Tteok? Probably not.
The Industry vs. The People: Who’s actually winning?
So, why is this happening? Experts are saying that we’re basically addicted to the ‘newness’ of it all. We’re in a ‘Trend Addiction’ phase where the dopamine hit comes from being the first to try something, not from the food itself. Large food corporations and convenience stores are also getting way faster at jumping on these trends. I bet you within two weeks, we’ll see ‘Butter Tteok’ flavored snacks at every GS25 and CU in Seoul. They see what’s trending on the ‘hot’ boards and they mass-produce it before the hype dies down.
This creates a weird pressure for creators, too. If you’re a food blogger and you don’t post a Butter Tteok recipe today, you’re basically invisible. So everyone rushes to make the same video, with the same music, using the same ingredients. It’s a literal factory of ‘viral’ content. It’s honestly a bit exhausting to watch. I love a good snack as much as the next girl, but when it feels like a chore to stay ‘relevant’ with what’s in my pantry, that’s when I start to back away.
“It’s not even a trend anymore, it’s a scheduled release. The influencers are basically the marketing department for these ‘new’ foods.” – A cynical but accurate fan comment
And let’s talk about the ‘Bomdong’ situation for a sec. That was literally just a week ago! Seeing everyone suddenly act like they’ve always loved spring cabbage bibimbap just because a celebrity did it was peak 2026 energy. And now, poor Bomdong has been tossed aside for Butter Tteok. The shelf life of a trend is now shorter than a carton of milk, and that’s honestly kind of scary for the people who actually run small cafes and try to keep up with these demands.
Is it actually worth the hype? My personal hot take!
Okay, look. I’m a trend reporter, so I had to try it. I went to a small cafe in Seongsu that was already advertising it as their ‘Signature Menu’ (they literally added it to the menu yesterday, talk about speed!). And… okay, hear me out. It’s good. It’s really good. But is it ‘breaking the internet’ good? Probably not. It tastes like a very buttery, very sweet rice cake. If you like the middle part of a brownie combined with the texture of a gummy bear, you will love this.
But the ‘forced’ feeling is definitely there. While I was eating it, I saw at least three different people taking photos of their Butter Tteok from every possible angle for like ten minutes. By the time they actually ate it, it must have been cold! That’s the problem with these SNS trends—the ‘vibe’ of the food is more important than the actual temperature or taste. We’re eating with our eyes and our followers’ likes, not our mouths.
I also think we need to talk about the ‘Dubai Chocolate’ hangover. We spent so much energy (and money!) trying to find that specific pistachio paste and kataifi pastry, and now those ingredients are just sitting in people’s cupboards gathering dust because the ‘vibe’ has shifted. I fear the same thing will happen with Butter Tteok. Everyone will buy five pounds of glutinous rice flour, make it once, and then forget about it when the next thing—probably ‘Spicy Marshmallow Tofu’ or something equally random—comes along next week.
How to spot a ‘Forced Trend’ before you fall for it
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all these ‘must-try’ foods, you’re definitely not alone. The way I see it, if a trend has a super-specific nickname and suddenly appears on 50 different accounts on the same day, it’s probably being pushed by the algorithm or a marketing firm. Real trends usually take a little time to grow. They start in small pockets of the internet and spread because people actually love them, not because they’re ‘optimized for short-form content.’
Does that mean you shouldn’t try Butter Tteok? Of course not! If you love chewy, buttery things, go for it. It’s a fun little DIY project for a Sunday afternoon. But don’t feel like you’re ‘out of the loop’ if you don’t. You aren’t ‘missing out’ on a life-changing culinary experience; you’re just missing out on a very specific type of sugar rush that everyone will have forgotten by April.
“I’m just going to wait until the next trend comes out in 48 hours. It’s cheaper that way.” – A relatable king on Instiz
Honestly, that commenter is my spirit animal. The pressure to be ‘on trend’ is a full-time job in 2026, and I think we all need a collective nap. Let’s just enjoy food because it tastes good, not because it’s going to get us 100 likes. But hey, that’s just my two cents! I’m still probably going to post a picture of my Butter Tteok later because, well, the lighting was perfect and I’m weak. Don’t judge me!
What do you guys think? Is Butter Tteok a total slay or are you already over it? Are you still stuck in the Dubai Chocolate era or have you moved on to the next big thing? I need to know if I’m the only one feeling this trend fatigue! Drop your thoughts in the comments below! 👇✨
