Snapshots from South Korea: Bbopgi, a Sugar and Baking Soda Candy on a Stick
Last month I visited Seoul, South Korea, for the first time. Here's a look at something I ate from my one-week trip. For more, check out the rest of my Snapshots from South Korea.
I saw many street vendors selling browned sugar disks-on-sticks during my week in Seoul, but I didn't feel compelled to actually try one until one night in Jongno when, after a failed attempt to get a deep fried french fry-encrusted hot dog, I just wanted to try...something. Preferably something that wouldn't rattle my stomach at midnight (which the hot dog wouldn't have fit into, so it's probably a good thing that I couldn't find it). As the stall with freshly made sugar disks seemed non-threatening, I chose it as a random late night snack.
This common street sweet is called bbopgi (bbopggi, bbobkkee, ppokki, and probably other spellings) or dalgona. (I'm not sure what dalgona refers to, so feel free to chime in if you do.) They're made by heating sugar and baking soda in a small metal ladle, mixing the two until it foams up, dumpling the mix onto a flat metal surface and flattening with a round press, then pressing in a few simple shapes—starts, hearts, crosses, and more—before the candy hardens. Supposedly if you can eat around the shapes without cracking them—a challenge since the baking soda makes the candy airy and very brittle—you'll get another bbopgi.
While the candy tasted fine, I'm not sure I'd want another one. Then again, I disqualified myself from such a future when, after taking my second bite, I destroyed a good chunk of my bbopgi and accidentally littered the ground with sugar shards. The flavor is a flat, toasty sweetness, and the initially crunchy texture turns to sticky in your mouth. It's not the most interesting candy you'll ever eat, but it's worth trying at least once and watching the birth of your bbopgi is half the fun. I could see why kids like it: sugar + fun shapes = must consume. (Then again, at midnight on a Saturday night these were more likely sold to drunk 20-somethings than to kids.)
Although I may not love bbopgi with all my heart, I could definitely get into Ppokki Friends (related comic), cute, mostly blobby creatures related to different steps of the bbopgi-making process. Oh, how I love anthropomorphized food.
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11 Comments:
it sounds a bit like honeycomb candy! except flattened
phageintosis at 4:03PM on 06/02/09
If what you've phonetically spelled it like I think you have,
If something is "dah-luh" it means it's sweet.
Dalgona is more like a surprising remark like "Oh! It's sweet!"
alliemoon at 4:29PM on 06/02/09
ah, this brings back memories. we used to get one after school every day and it was rare for anyone to get the shape out of the candy without breaking it.
cupcup at 4:37PM on 06/02/09
@phageintosis: Oh yeah, it's a bit like that...but with finger air holes? On that note, if this stuff was dipped in chocolate I might like it more. Hehe. :)
@alliemoon: Thanks for the explanation! So other sweets are called dalgona? I thought maybe bbopgi was in a dalgona category.
roboppy at 5:33PM on 06/02/09
i grew up in korea in the 80's and back then, the street vendors would have us make our own. we would grab a ladle, a stick and some sugar, and then crowd around a charcoal stove to make the candy. it was magical (and dangerous, now that i think about it) how we could turn granulated sugar into candy with a bit of baking soda and heat.
banina at 6:30PM on 06/02/09
This is one childhood memory I didn't get to relive last trip. Next trip.
MattKim at 7:01PM on 06/02/09
Oh my gosh - fairy food without the chocolate. I have to eat this!
BangieB at 7:10PM on 06/02/09
"Dalgona" is probably "달고나", which pretty much translates to "Ah, it's sweet!" I think the snack is called different names in different regions... and to add to the confusion, there's also a variant made with sugar cubes instead of granulated sugar.
Either way, ahahaha, childhood memories! My friends and I attempted making this at home on many occasions... which inevitably involved a lot of plastic soup ladles melted beyond repair and an equal number of infuriated mothers. :)
peyotetheatre at 8:13PM on 06/02/09
@banina: I wish I could've made some!
@BangieB: I didn't know "fairy food" was a name for this kind of candy. Cute name. :)
@peyotetheatre: Thanks for the info!
roboppy at 9:40PM on 06/02/09
death to bbopgi!
Grace Kang at 9:41AM on 06/04/09
Also the same basic ingredients as the candy in peanut brittle.
tshoward74 at 1:09PM on 06/04/09