What is dalgona: the biscuit made with sugar and baking soda that we see in Squid Game

Dystopian, cruel, almost Orwellian and at times frightening. Words that summarize the nature of Squid Game, the new series available on Netflix and capable of becoming one of the most viewed in the catalog in a very short time.

Many people will ask why on a cooking site which deals with chefs and food and recipes there is an article about Squid Game. Because even in the Korean series, we food lovers, serial seekers of edible oddities or specialties, have found some special enogastronomic things. And wherever there is even a crumb of bread that claims to be told, we answer "present".

Like truffle hunting dogs, we could not miss the opportunity to talk not only about the series of the moment, but above all about a typical South-Korean sweet that was the real protagonist of an episode: the dalgona biscuit.

We see these South-Korean biscuits similar to lollipops, biscuits which also thanks to Squid Game are experiencing a new renaissance at home, in the third episode of the Asian series directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk.

The reason for this renaissance? Because these biscuits, whose recipe and ingredients are very simple, after their great success between the 60s and 80s have undergone a progressive decline in interest and consumption, ending up almost in oblivion especially due to the increasingly stringent and harsh hygiene standards that prevented the traditional preparation on the street.

Their appearance in a series that also focuses on the nostalgia effect has been a real blast from the past for a generation of current 40/50/60-year-old South-Koreans who, during their childhood, used to consume these biscuits at the exit of schools or in the parks, prepared by street vendors using only sugar and baking soda. They were "special" for the figures that were imprinted with molds in the dough and the game that followed.

Rediscovered in South-Korea, but revealed for the first time to the rest of the world, the dalgona biscuits have captured the curiosity and interest of millions of people around the globe.

If you have not seen the third episode of Squid Game yet, continue reading calmly. The following lines are in fact spoiler free.

What are dalgona biscuits

The dalgona, a term that in Korean simply means "it is sweet", are very crumbly and thin biscuits, made only with caramelized sugar and baking soda, on which a shape was imprinted (in the series there are circle, star, triangle and umbrella) with a mould. The unfortunate people who play the game in the series are forced to extract the respective figure without breaking the biscuit, under penalty of execution on the spot.

Fortunately, in real life, dalgona biscuits are linked to much happier and sweeter memories. The opposite is impossible, after all, considering the amount of sugar present.

Particularly in vogue in the 70s and 80s of the last century, in the last two decades these biscuits had almost disappeared, until with Squid Game they were pulled from oblivion. As mentioned, children used to buy this particular street food from street vendors outside schools or in parks, and they challenged each other to eat the outside part without breaking the figure imprinted in the middle. Those who succeeded received, free of charge, another biscuit.

How dalgona biscuits are made

The preparation of dalgona biscuits is very simple, and everyone at home with the right tools can replicate this recipe. Plenty of sugar is placed inside a saucepan, and then the saucepan is placed on a small stove and mixed with a stick (or whip) to help it dissolve. When the sugar has become real caramel, becoming amber, baking soda is added, with the mixture becoming thick and creamy.

Subsequently, the whole is crushed with the flat bottom of a pan to even out the surface and, after giving it a circular and thin shape, the figures that are also seen in the series are imprinted with a mould. The final result will be a sort of lollipop which, once cold, is then packaged ready to be sold.

In Squid Game the production wanted an authentic dalgona master on the set, called to make about 700 biscuits for the realization of the scene. "He was constantly making biscuits, you could smell caramel everywhere", admitted one of the protagonists of the series, quite amused, recalling the moments in which the challenge was filmed.

A brief history of dalgona biscuit

Dalgona are very humble biscuits, born to the delight of South-Korean children and made with simple ingredients, easy to find even for the poorest families.

Their origin dates back to the mid-1950s, when US soldiers came to the rescue of South-Korea, a US ally, during the Korean War, following the invasion of the Northern army.

During the period of service in the southern part of the peninsula it seems that the American military used to distribute sweets to local children, but the South-Korean parents in extreme poverty could not afford to buy them.

They therefore decided to make at home, using only sugar, water and baking soda, this kind of lollipop that in a few years has become an iconic local street food, celebrated in its own way by Squid Game. Thanks to which it now seems that these biscuits are experiencing a renewed interest not only at home, but all over the world.

In a few days the social networks, and TikTok in particular, have been invaded by challenges in which users challenge each other to make these cookies to extract, just like in the game, the central shape. For fun, of course, with nothing extreme up for grabs…