In one of the most streamed Netflix shows, Squid Game, dalgona candy became a very popular candy around the world. In one of the rounds of Squid Game, the players have to pick a shape out of the candy without making any mistakes. In this cultural artifact, I am going to focus on the history of dalgona and its importance in Korean culture.
Dalgona is made up of melted sugar and baking soda. When the baking soda is mixed into melted sugar, the thermal decomposition of the baking soda releases carbon dioxide, making the sugar thicken. You typically then pour it onto a flat surface and press it flat. When you press it flat, you use a patterned mold to mold the liquidized sugar and create a shape out of it. The customer tries to poke the outline of the mold on the dalgona without breaking the picture. If you successfully get the shape without breaking it, the customer will receive another free dalgona from the vendor.
The typical shapes are hearts, circles, and stars. After Squid Game, the shape of the umbrella has become very popular worldwide, and many have been challenged to pick the shape out of the dalgona candy using a needle. People also create their own shapes and logos to imprint on the candy and pick at it without breaking the candy. This is known as 뽑기 (ppopgi: the game of picking out the shape using a needle without breaking it).
During the Korean War, many American soldiers gave away free chocolates to children in South Korea. The creation of the dalgona candy was able to fill the void in postwar South Korea for children who grew accustomed to the free chocolates. After the Korean War, people could not afford to pay for the expensive American candies and chocolates, so Koreans figured out a way of getting their sweets into their system.
Since raw sugar was very expensive, many people used glucose. However, raw sugar was imported from many different countries. Because of the import of raw sugar, it was more common for street vendors to sell them to people. For example, many street vendors sold outside of elementary schools and playgrounds, and get the children to try 뽑기 and see if they can win a free dalgona.
The name of the candy varied depending on which province and/or region you were from. In Gyeonggi Province, which is where Seoul and Incheon are located, it is mainly called dalgona and ppopgi. However, in areas such as Chungcheong Province, they called it ttigi (띠기) and the South Gyeongsang Province called it 쪽자 (jjokja) while the North Gyeongsang Province called it 국자 (gukja).
Over the years, the street vendors who sold dalgona have slowly been disappearing because many people complained about its unhealthy aspect and the low quality of it. Because of its disappearing vendors, it became a good memory for those who used to pick at the outlines of the candy. Because of Squid Game, dalgona has slowly started rising back to its popularity, and the sales of the candy have significantly increased, not only in South Korea but also worldwide. In Korea, the memories of doing dalgona while they were young demonstrates the importance of its culture and its traditions. Although it was starting to disappear, it has made its comeback into the street vendors through the help of Squid Game and social media.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/dining/squid-game-netflix-dalgona-candy.html
Comments
Hi Amy, I've never had a chance to play with dalgona before but I've seen it in some variety shows and the Squid Game. I was not aware of the story behind it but I'm glad that now I do. I want to try picking out a shape myself because it looked really hard to do one perfectly in the shows.
Hey Amy, I agree dalgona was an integral part of Korean childhood and I think it was further brought to the spotlight due to Squid Game. I did not realize the history and context behind it but I think with this information now I have a deeper appreciation for it and hope that there will remain some street vendors selling dalgona for the future!
Amy,
I think dalgona is such a nostalgic part of every Korean kid's childhood especially back in the day. I would know exactly when my sister was cooking dalgona because of its distinct sweet and caramel-y smell. I was not aware of the deep history behind it, especially during the Korean War. It is also very interesting to see that dalgona also had very different names depending on the region and province where one was living. It is very sad to see that not many vendors are seen out in the streets selling dalgona, but hopefully with the emergence of Squid Game, dalgona will be something that will be in our lives again.