Dalgona Bbopgi (Dalgona Candy)

Sugar Candy from the Alleyways (Korea's Street Candy)

Dalgona is a representative Korean street snack that was sold from pushcarts in front of schools in the 1970s and 80s. When an elderly vendor would melt sugar in a ladle, mix in baking soda, flatten it out, and stamp it with star, heart, or umbrella shapes, children had to use a toothpick to carve out the shape without breaking the lines. If you failed, you had to return it.

The Challenge Resurrected by Netflix (The Global TikTok Moment)

Immediately after the release of 〈Squid Game〉, the Dalgona challenge took over TikTok worldwide. Videos of people scraping out the shapes with needles recorded billions of views, and Dalgona kits were released in Korean convenience stores, becoming a must-buy item for foreign tourists.

Making Dalgona at Home (Make It at Home)

• Put 2 tablespoons of sugar in a ladle and melt completely over low heat — do not stir, or it will crystallize.
• Turn off the heat, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, and stir quickly 10 times until it puffs up.
• Pour onto a baking sheet and press down with a flat-bottomed cup to flatten it thinly.
• Stamp with a cookie cutter, let it cool, and then try carving out the shape along the lines with a toothpick!