Dubai chewy-cookie craze sweeps South Korea

At 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 12, a line stretching more than 30 meters formed along an alley in front of a shop in Gwangjin District, Seoul, despite bitter cold and wind chills dropping to minus 15 degrees Celsius. Customers had gathered for an “open run” to purchase the Dubai chewy cookie known as Dujjonku, which goes on sale at noon.

Ji Soo-jin, 31, said she decided to visit the shop after repeatedly seeing friends and influencers eating the cookie on Instagram. “I was curious,” she said with a laugh. “I heard it was hard to get, so I arrived two hours early and ended up first in line.”

The popularity of Dujjonku, driven by social media buzz, is spreading rapidly across South Korea. Imports of ingredients such as kadaif, thin strands of Turkish pastry, and pistachios have increased, but demand has grown even faster, pushing prices sharply higher. Analysts say the craze reflects a strong fear of missing out, particularly among Generation Z, which is highly responsive to social media trends.

Dujjonku is a dessert developed in South Korea and inspired by Dubai chocolate, which gained popularity in 2024. It resembles a glutinous rice cake and features a filling made of kadaif mixed with pistachio cream, wrapped in a layer of melted marshmallow.

Its rising popularity is also reflected in import data for key ingredients. According to the Korea Customs Service on Jan. 12, imports of pistachios in shells totaled 1,310 tons from January through November last year, up about 18 percent from 1,113 tons a year earlier. That figure already exceeded the total import volume for all of 2024, which stood at 1,203 tons. Data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety show that imports of Turkish dried noodles, which include kadaif, increased from 9,212 tons in 2024 to 11,103 tons last year. Imports of cocoa powder also rose over the same period, reaching 10,674 tons, up from 10,427 tons in 2024.

As more consumers attempt to make Dujjonku at home, prices for ingredients have continued to climb. According to Pulcent, an app that tracks price fluctuations on e-commerce platforms, the price of pistachios surged 156 percent, rising from 19,500 won per kilogram on Dec. 14 to 49,900 won on Jan. 11. During the same period, the price of 500 grams of kadaif increased about 48 percent, from 12,700 won to 18,900 won.

As Dujjonku gained wider attention, even eateries far removed from desserts, including Korean restaurants and sushi shops, began offering it to draw customers. On delivery apps, many establishments imposed conditions, such as requiring the purchase of a meal to order Dujjonku or limiting customers to one item per order.

Analysts say the Dujjonku craze reflects both “ditto consumption,” a social media driven pattern in which people buy what others are buying, and a desire for small indulgences amid an economic slowdown. As images of influencers and celebrities eating the dessert spread online, interest intensified, while its limited availability further stoked demand. Hwang Jin-ju, an adjunct professor of consumer studies at Inha University, said the trend signals “a shift toward conformist consumption, where people think, ‘If you buy it, I will too.’” She added that as the downturn persists, consumers are gravitating toward relatively affordable luxuries, opting for desserts that feel indulgent without the burden of purchasing high-end luxury goods, even if they are expensive for their category.


남혜정 기자 namduck2@donga.com