On Seollal, Lunar New Year's Day, one of Korea's two most important traditional holidays, families gather to share food and exchange “deokdam,” literally words of wisdom to extend good wishes.

Among “seol eumsik” or “sechan” Koreans prepare to celebrate the day, the most representative are tteokguk (white rice-cake soup), bindaetteok (mung-bean cake), sikye (sweet rice beverage) and sujeonggwa (sweet ginger drink).

Based on Koreans' primitive beliefs mandating solemnity and cleanliness on the first day of the year, Koreans are known to have started eating the tteokguk made of sliced round garaetteok (long tube-like white rice cake) pieces. Garaetteok's whiteness and length symbolize cleanliness and longevity.

There are several theories as to why the tteok in the soup are round-shaped. While some say eating coin-shaped tteok will bring people wealth, others argue that the tteok in the soup represents the sun. Thus, when you eat a bowl of tteokguk, then, you gain a year, possibly the origin of Tteokguk's by-name “cheomsebyeong,” literally year-adding cake. In the Confucian age system, everyone turns a year older on Lunar New Year's, not their birthdays.

Before beef became popular, Koreans used clear pheasant broth for the soup. When pheasant broth was unavailable, they used chicken broth instead. But these days, beef broth is most often used as the soup base.

Residents in the northern and eastern provinces of Hwanghae-do, Pyeongan-do and Gangwon-do prefer manduguk, wonton soup, to tteokguk.

While tteokguk represents health and longevity, manduguk symbolizes luck in the form of wonton wraps.

By eating tteokguk or manduguk on Lunar New Year's, Koreans all hope for a better, healthy and long life.

Tteokguk
Ingredients (Serves four)

300 grams of thinly sliced garaetteok
1 large stalk of green onions
2 tablespoons of crushed laver (dried seaweed)
4 cups of beef broth
1 teaspoon of finely minced garlic

Ingredients for toppings
1 egg
2 tablespoons of crushed laver
200 grams of finely chopped beef
soy sauce, minced garlic and green onions, sugar, pepper, crushed sesame seed and sesame oil (add to one's taste)

1. Put the tteok pieces into boiling beef stock.
2. Add green onions and garlic.
3. Bring the soup to a boil.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the toppings,
1. Separate the egg into the white and yolk.
2. Fry the white and yolk separately
3. Let the cooked egg parts cool. Then thinly julienne them.
4. Mix the chopped beef with the seasonings.
5. Brown the beef mixture on a hot frying pan.

To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl and top it with the meat topping, eggs and laver.

Serve hot accompanied with kimchi.