Why Is Everyone Talking About Dalgona Candy? (Published 2021) (2024)

Food|Why Is Everyone Talking About Dalgona Candy?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/dining/squid-game-netflix-dalgona-candy.html

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Interest in the South Korean treat has spiked since the debut of the Netflix drama “Squid Game.”

Why Is Everyone Talking About Dalgona Candy? (Published 2021) (1)

One of Maddy Park’s earliest memories of street food was when vendors set up a portable stove outside her elementary school in Seoul, South Korea, to sell a candy for about a dime. It was part sweet treat, part game.

Candy makers melted sugar and frothed it up with a pinch of baking soda to make this dalgona candy, Ms. Park recalled. They then pressed the mixture flat and pushed shapes like a circle, triangle, square, star or umbrella into the center. Ms. Park’s classmates determinedly tried to pick out the stamped shape using a needle without breaking it — a game called ppopgi. If the children successfully removed the shape from the brittle candy, they won another treat for free.

“Dalgona was one of the cheapest, unhealthiest, yet the most addictive gamble for 7-year-old me,” said Ms. Park, now 28 and living in Downtown Brooklyn, N.Y.

Ms. Park is one of many Koreans whose memories of dalgona candy, also called ppopgi, have surfaced thanks to the release last month of “Squid Game” on Netflix. The fictional series follows a group of cash-strapped people willing to die playing childhood games for a chance to win a jackpot. Episode 3 is all about ppopgi.

Read more about “Squid Game” on Netflix.

“There’s a gambling sort of element to it, kind of like in the ‘Squid Game’ but without life or death,” JinJoo Lee, 55, the Korean food blogger behind Kimchimari, said about ppopgi. Her recipe for dalgona candy, which she posted online in 2018, has had a 30 percent increase in traffic in the past few days. Similar candies are popular around the world, she said, but they go by different names.

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Why Is Everyone Talking About Dalgona Candy? (Published 2021) (2024)

FAQs

Why is everyone talking about dalgona candy? ›

Social media has shepherded its leap to worldwide fame, introducing the candy to people outside South Korea. The name dalgona became more familiar to Americans in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic because of the popularity of the whipped coffee also known as dalgona.

Why is dalgona candy so popular? ›

Dalgona appeared in an episode of the Netflix series Squid Game, with a deadly version of the dalgona challenge being the second game played in the series. The success and international popularity of the show led to a revival of the candy's popularity in South Korea along with the rising prevalence around the world.

What is the dalgona candy Challenge? ›

The dalgona candy challenge appears in the third episode of "Squid Game." Before the clock ran out, players needed to use a needle to carve the shapes that are stamped into the candy. If players broke the dalgona and were unable to cut the complete shape out of the brittle candy, they were killed.

What is the dalgona candy rule? ›

They win money if they're successful, and they may be shot if not. For the dalgona game, contestants have to carefully break the toffee candy around a preset shape without breaking the whole thing.

Is dalgona candy unhealthy? ›

"This candy offers only empty calories from sugar, it lacks all the nutritive factors – vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, polyphenols, and other functional nutrients,” she added.

What does dalgona mean in Korean? ›

honeycomb candy. #Dalgona coffee is a whipped. coffee drink made up of instant coffee, sugar and. water.

What is the history of dalgona candy? ›

History of Dalgona

Dalgona has a long history in South Korea. Right after the Second World War, Korea was still a very poor country. Many children had grown accustomed to the chocolates handed out by American soldiers right after the war, so street food vendors tried to fill that void by making dalgona candy.

What is dalgona candy made of? ›

Similar to honeycomb toffee candy, dalgona is basically made by melting sugar and stirring in a little bit of baking soda. The sugar mixture then foams up and turns into something that looks like light caramel-colored whipped cream.

Why is dalgona candy in Squid Game? ›

Dalgona was a sweet treat for kids, but it also provided a fun game: If the kid could remove the shape from the rest of the candy without breaking it, they were given another candy for free.

How do you cut dalgona candy? ›

Wait until the dalgona candy is becoming tacky — not molten — before pressing your cookie cutter into it. If you flattened your candy, wait 15–20 seconds. If you didn't, wait 25–30 seconds. Gently press your cookie cutter into the candy until it almost touches the bottom, then carefully remove it.

How to win dalgona candy? ›

Heat your needle or toothpick would be a good idea as you would inadvertently melt the honeycomb - but this would be cheating unless you're as sneaky as Jang Deok-su and Han Mi-nyeo in the games! Dunk it in milk! Same theory as licking the candy but watch out for it melting too quickly!

What is a fun fact about dalgona? ›

Dalgona is sometimes referred to as ppopgi, which incidentally is also the name of the game played by the children who eat it. Street vendors will occasionally give them small toy prizes if they're able to extract the fun shape in the candy without breaking it.

Is dalgona in Squid Game? ›

As fans of the original Squid Game series are well aware, looks can be deceiving when it comes to dalgona, the traditional South Korean sweet treat at the center of the show's iconic second game.

What is the meaning of dalgona in Squid Game? ›

Dalgona, which means “honeycomb toffee” in Korean, is a type of candy that rose in popularity after the Korean War.

What does dalgona candy taste like? ›

What Does Dalgona Taste Like. Dalgona is sweet but also has some smoky caramel taste. It is light and airy with a thin brittle texture like honeycomb candy.

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