TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Sweet South-Korean import: Understanding 'dalgona' candy’s popularity in Indonesia
A South-Korean treat and game finds popularity globally, including here, after featuring on Netflix's 'Squid Game'
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Fun times: Customers of all ages visit St. James Cafe & Mart to play the dalgona game (Courtesy of St. James Cafe & Mart) (Personal collection/Courtesy of St. James Cafe _ Mart)
S
quid Game, the South Korean show that debuted in September on the streaming platform Netflix garnered massive attention upon its release from viewers across the globe, including Indonesia. It featured various traditional Korean games, including the dalgona game.
#SquidGame was one of the most talked-about hashtags under the K-Culture category in 2021, according to data collected by Twitter Indonesia, alongside the show Hometown ChaChaCha and various K-Pop groups.
Many of the games on the show are based on traditional South Korean childhood games. One of them is the dalgona game, which is centered around a time-honored delicacy of the same name. It is a type of honeycomb toffee candy, usually round and flat, with a simple pattern pressed into its surface.
"Dalgona is a sweet street treat made of sugar and baking soda," said Crisnova “Kris” Arnas Clara, a Korean Studies graduate from the University of Indonesia, dalgona is cheap and it was popular among children in the 1970s and 80s.
"What made this candy stand out is how the sellers would come up with a challenge [which is how the game came to be] — anyone who was able to carve it based on the shape [a pattern made using a needle] could win prizes," added Kris. It is conceptually similar to katanuki, commonly encountered during traditional Japanese festivals.
Those who have watched Squid Game might have an inkling that while the game sounds simple, it is not at all easy to do. Dalgona is typically brittle, and carving the candy without breaking it requires skill and patience.
More from The Weekender
Jakarta’s padel moment
From FOMO to full-blown obsession, padel has captured the city. What comes next may depend less on courts and more on the communities that grow around them.
The battle over memory
And why the government’s plan to rewrite its history books should alarm us all.
Are younger workers getting something right about work?
As micro-retirements gain traction, Gen Z and young millennials are challenging traditional ideas of ambition, success and when it’s okay to pause.
