[Edaily Reporter Han Jeon-jin ] I’ll try just about anything and report back to you. I’m interested in not only new products but also products making a comeback. I avoid simple reviews. I’ll also explain why a product is popular and why it was launched. I’ll try everything from gum to steaks at high-end restaurants. If there’s something to eat, I’ll go anywhere. These are “self-funded” reviews where I use my own salary. <EDITOR’s Note>

Can jelly actually be spicy? And what if it’s flavored like Dongdaemun Yeopgi Tteokbokki (Yeop-tteok)? LOTTE WELLFOOD(280360)recently collaborated with Dongdaemun Yeopgi Tteokbokki to launch “It’s Super Spicy! Tteokbokki-Flavored Jelly.” The concept of combining sweet jelly with the spicy flavor of tteokbokki piques curiosity. Just from the name alone, it’s hard to imagine what it would taste like. Did it truly capture Yeoptok’s signature spiciness? I tried both the Original and Mild flavors.

The product is still hard to find on store shelves. Since it’s currently being rolled out to convenience stores and large supermarkets, actual retail locations are still few and far between. In the end, I ordered it from LOTTE WELLFOOD’s online store. The price is 1,500 won per piece, but at the time, it was on sale for 1,200 won. Both the Original and Mild flavors were priced the same.

When I opened the bag, I caught a faint whiff of gochujang amidst the sweet scent characteristic of jelly. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was enough to make me think, “They really tried to recreate the taste of tteokbokki.” Inside were about 15 pieces of tteokbokki-shaped jelly, each about half the length of an adult’s index finger. One bag weighs 52g and contains 160 kcal. The only difference between the two was the color: the Original flavor was a slightly deeper reddish-brown, while the Mild flavor had a slightly lighter reddish hue.

I tried the “Mild” flavor first. From the very first bite, my expectations were completely off. It really did taste like tteokbokki. The sweet and savory flavor of tteokbokki sauce hit me first, followed by a spiciness comparable to Shin Ramyun spreading across my tongue. Since tteokbokki is, after all, a dish made with rice cakes, the chewy texture of the jelly actually complemented it well. If I closed my eyes while eating it, I could almost be fooled into thinking I was chewing on tteokbokki sauce. In fact, the front of the package states that it contains 5.2% tteokbokki sauce.

The Original flavor was definitely a notch stronger. It felt about 1.5 times spicier than the Mild flavor. It also captured Yeopttok’s distinctive sweet yet pungent spiciness relatively well. As I chewed, I could feel fine particles resembling chili flakes, and the way the spiciness built up the more I ate was also similar to real Yeopttok. After eating about five pieces, I naturally found myself reaching for water. Personally, I’d rate how well it captures the taste of real yeopttok at about 80%.

However, there was one aspect I found particularly hard to get used to. I have a strong mental association that jelly is sweet and tangy, but as the spicy flavor spread in my mouth, a strange sense of dissonance lingered. It wasn’t that it tasted bad; it was more a feeling of conflict between my familiar expectations and the actual taste. After eating them, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What did I just eat?” At the same time, the thought crossed my mind: “At this point, wouldn’t it be better to just eat regular tteokbokki?”

I’m not sure if I’ll buy it again. Still, it was fun enough to try at least once. The concept of recreating tteokbokki flavor in jelly was fresh, and the execution exceeded my expectations. If you usually enjoy tteokbokki, this is a chance to experience a familiar flavor in a completely different way. Opinions will likely be divided, but it certainly has what it takes to become a talking point.

“Does jelly have to be sweet?” is the question LOTTE WELLFOOD poses with this product. “Jjangmaewoyo” is an expanded line following “Jjangseoyo,” a sour jelly that has been around for over 20 years. Following last year’s move to subdivide sourness into five levels, this time the focus is squarely on spiciness. With demand growing in the jelly market—particularly on social media—for bold and novel flavors, there’s a trend toward experiments that break away from conventional formulas.

This trend is known as “Fun+Consumer” marketing. It’s a strategy that stimulates curiosity through collaborations that break the mold of existing products and turns that curiosity into online word-of-mouth. Yeop-tteok Jelly is also less about selling jelly and more about selling the buzz around the question, “What on earth does it taste like?” Of course, not all ‘funsumer’ products are successful. Ultimately, they must go beyond just being fun and convince consumers of their taste to drive repeat purchases.