[Korean Culture & Language] The ladle cookie - Dalgona


Hello, this is Uptempo Marketers!


source: https://nownews.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20210930601011

The top-rated Netflix series Squid Game features six survival games based on traditional Korean children's games. Dalgona(달고나), a toffee-like candy that appears in the third game, attracted the attention of many people all around the world.



달고나 (Dalgona), which is also known as 뽑기 (ppopgi), is an old Korean candy made from sugar and baking soda. Even though it’s hard to find them in stores these days, dalgona used to be a popular kid's snack in the 1960s and 1970s when there weren’t many sweet baked goods available for kids. Dalgona was also one of the cheapest snacks sold in stores. They ate it after pouring sugar and soda into a ladle. When it's melted, it's called '달고나(dalgona),' and when it's poured onto a hot plate and shaped with a tool, it's called '뽑기(ppopgi)'. So what we see in the Squid Game is actually a ‘뽑기(ppopgi)’. 

Dalgona and ppopgi began to disappear in the early 1990s as Korea's economy grew and many other snack options became available. Even though it became harder to see dalgona or ppopgi these days, 달고나 커피 (dalgona coffee) grew in popularity in 2020. 



It's produced by blending instant coffee beans, sugar, and hot water until it forms a merengue-like texture, then pouring it over milk to float on top. Even though dalgona coffee did not initially include dalgona, it was given the name because it had the same color and texture as dalgona. On the other hand, various coffee shops began to sell coffee with dalgona slices on top. Many cafes have adopted it as a popular recipe.

People from different parts of the country used to call 달고나(dalgona) by many different names. In the Chung-cheong and Daejeong areas, it was known as ‘띠기’. ‘띠기’ is a Chung-cheong dialect for ‘떼기’. ‘떼다’ means to ‘pull out’.

Because it was made with a ladle, the Gyeong-buk people called it ‘국자(ladle)’.

It was called “쪽자(ladle)’ in the Gyeong-sang area, which also means a ladle in Gyeong-sang dialect.

In Busan, it was even called ‘똥과자(poop-snack) because of its color and shape.


Some claim that making 달고나 is too much work and not worth the effort. Have you tried cooking dalgona? And which dialect for 달고나 is your favorite?

댓글

이 블로그의 인기 게시물

[Korean Culture & Language] Impulsiveness and MBTI

[Korean Culture & Language] Switching between the liver and the gallbladder

[Korean Culture & Language] Washing one's Identity