Food & Beverage Industry Falls in Love with Traditional Korean Snack “Dalgona”

Once popular in the past, the traditional Korean snack recently regained the spotlight after a recipe for dalgona coffee went viral on social media. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, June 4 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s food and beverage industry has fallen in deep love with the traditional Korean snack “dalgona.”

The coffee industry, in particularly, is releasing a series of dalgona coffee products, which are enjoying rising popularity, especially among young people.

Dalgona is increasingly being used in a variety of forms, including “dalgona red bean sherbet” and “dalgona rice wine.”

According to the food and beverage industry, “dalgona coffee” is emerging as a hot trend this year.

Once popular in the past, the traditional Korean snack recently regained the spotlight after a recipe for dalgona coffee went viral on social media.

The recipe for Dalgona coffee is different from that of the traditional dalgona which was made by caramelizing sugar and mixing in some baking soda.

Dalgona coffee is whipped coffee made by mixing instant coffee, sugar and hot water on a 1:1:1 basis.

U.S. coffee brand Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf released “Dalgona Cream Latte” in March by adding cream to dalgona. (image: Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf)

With dalgona coffee becoming a social media sensation, the coffee industry is releasing a wide variety of dalgona coffee products.

South Korean coffeehouse chain A Twosome Place, for example, launched a “Dalgona Café Latte” by placing dalgona cream on top of its normal Café Latte and adding a slice of crispy Dalgona.

A Twosome Place is not alone. U.S. coffee brand Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf released “Dalgona Cream Latte” in March by adding cream to dalgona.

Coffee Bean said that more than 250,000 cups of Dalgona Cream Latte were sold during the past two months, indicating how popular this brand-new coffee has become among young people in South Korea.

J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)