When the Korean thriller Squid Game dropped in 2021, kits for dalgona — a simple street candy made of sugar and baking soda — sold out in shops worldwide. The scene where contestants carve a shape out of a brittle disc with trembling hands under threat of death turned a penny sweet into a global phenomenon. The dalgona hashtag racked up hundreds of millions of views, and cafes started running their own "challenges" for guests.
What's striking is that all the food in the show is real Korean classic fare, familiar to anyone who grew up in Seoul. It isn't fantasy but nostalgia: the cheap childhood street food of the characters. Let's break down what's on screen and learn to make the franchise's signature treat at home.
Dalgona: the candy that became a death game
Dalgona (also called ppopgi) is a caramel of melted sugar with a pinch of baking soda stirred in. The soda reacts, the caramel foams up, and as it sets it turns into a porous honeycomb candy. Street vendors sold it all over Korea: if you carefully picked the stamped shape out of the disc without breaking it, you won a second candy for free. The show turned that very rule into a lethal game with an umbrella, a star, a triangle and a circle.
The real recipe is wonderfully minimal:
- 2 tablespoons of sugar per candy.
- a tiny pinch of baking soda (literally a toothpick's worth).
- a metal ladle or small pot and any heatproof surface.
The method: melt the sugar over low heat to a light amber, take it off the stove, quickly stir in the soda — the mass foams and lightens. Pour it at once onto an oiled surface, press it flat into a disc, and stamp in a shape (use a cookie cutter). It all sets within a couple of minutes.
Why dalgona cracks
The beginner's nightmare is the candy snapping right along the design line. There are several causes, all fixable:
- Overheated sugar. Taken too dark, the caramel turns brittle and bitter. Pull it off at a light amber.
- Too much soda. Excess soda makes large bubbles and a crumbly structure. You need just a pinch.
- A deep stamp. The harder you press the design, the thinner the caramel there and the easier it cracks. Stamp gently.
- Rushing to remove it. Let the candy cool fully, or it is still soft and will tear.
A pro trick straight from the show: to carve the shape, fans lightly lick the back along the design line or hold a hot needle to it — the sugar softens and the outline separates without chips.
Not just sweets: Korean street food on screen
Dalgona is the star, but the world of Squid Game is full of other recognisable food. In childhood flashbacks and scenes outside the arena, iconic Korean street dishes appear:
- Tteokbokki — chewy rice cakes in a sweet-spicy gochujang sauce, the icon of Korean street food.
- Rabokki — the same rice cakes with ramen noodles added.
- Soju — the national spirit the characters drink in a snack tent.
- Kimbap and ramen — quick food the characters survive on in hard times.
This food is no accident: it underlines the show's class theme. The heroes are ordinary people drowning in debt, and they eat cheaply and familiarly, without frills.
How to host a Squid Game night
Setting a themed table is far easier than surviving the actual game. Here's a working plan:
- The dalgona challenge. Hand guests ready-made discs with different shapes and needles, and have them carve against the clock. Losers pay a forfeit, not their lives.
- A spicy main. Put out a pot of tteokbokki in red sauce — bright, hot and very Korean.
- Drinks. Soju for adults and sweet sodas in green bottles for everyone.
- Dress code. Green tracksuits for players and red jumpsuits for guards — and your photo corner is ready.
The power of Squid Game food lies in its simplicity: two spoons of sugar become a tense little spectacle. Make dalgona just once and you'll understand why the world became obsessed with this fragile sweet.
