Fads may come and go, but Korea’s love for chewy textures endures

Dubai chewy cookie just one of many food trends in South Korea that share a texture widely described as 'kkudeok kkudeok'

Screenshots of videos on TikTok showing creators eating viral foods. Clockwise from top left: Dubai chewy cookies, Buldak noodles with cheese and carbonara seasoning, Greek yogurt, and cream-filled bread, all loved for their textures. (TikTok)

Dubai chewy cookies are sweeping Korea, driving nationwide sellouts and price hikes.

Unlike your typical crumbly cookie, this viral dessert — a Korean twist on the Dubai chocolate bar — delivers a dense, chewy bite, with melted marshmallow wrapped around pistachio cream and kadaif.

Many already see the dessert as a fad, much like Chinese candied fruit tanghulu and yogurt ice cream before it.

But the texture behind the fixation, known in Korean as "kkudeok kkudeok," has taken hold as an enduring trend among Korean foodies in recent years, experts say.

“If you look at the foods that have gone viral, there’s a clear tendency among Koreans to favor chewy, sticky textures that really cling to the palate,” food columnist Kim Sae-bom told The Korea Herald.

“London Bagel Museum, which still draws long lines, has found major success with bagels that are moist and chewy, instead of the firm, dry texture associated with classic New York or Montreal style bagels. You see the same thing with popular items like salt bread and white loaf bread. They may look Western, but their texture is noticeably softer, moister and chewier, closer to glutinous rice cake."

The term “kkudeok kkudeok,” according to the National Institute of Korean Language, originally refers to a surface that has partially dried or hardened after being frozen. As moist yet chewy foods continue to dominate viral food trends, the word has taken on new meaning as a way to describe their distinctive texture.

From mukbangs to brand advertisements, the term now appears widely across food and beverage marketing.

Steady sellers include the cheese and carbonara versions of Samyang Foods’ globally popular Buldak noodle series.

As the cheese or carbonara seasoning mixes with the spicy sauce, the sauce thickens, causing the noodles to cling together and intensifying the rich mouthfeel.

As for desserts, the yogurt ice cream trend gained traction, fueled by local brands like Yoajung, but Greek yogurt had been popular long before this for its thickness and the contrast it creates when paired with crunchy toppings like granola, nuts and dried fruit.

More recently, Korean traditional desserts known for their intensely sweet and sticky textures, such as yakgwa (a honey-glazed cookie) and gaeseong juak (a donut-shaped fried rice cake coated with sweet syrup), have gone viral among younger generations, sparking renewed interest in classic sweets.

Song, a 26-year-old YouTuber in Seoul who focuses on dessert mukbang content, told The Korea Herald that thumbnails featuring the term “kkudeok kkudeok” tend to perform better in terms of views.

“Even when people eat alone, I think they seem to look for food that stimulates not just taste but also visual and auditory senses," she said.

“I get a lot of emails asking me to try certain foods, and it feels like people are really into foods with strong textures these days.”

Kim, the food columnist who has spent more than a decade covering food and travel as a freelance writer, attributed Koreans’ fondness for richly textured foods to the nature of Korean cuisine.

“Koreans grew up eating a lot of foods that are tough and fibrous, like chewy rice cakes, dried seafood and seasoned greens. Because of that, our jaw muscles naturally became stronger," she said.

"I think that’s why many people enjoy foods that give their mouth something to push against. It’s that bit of resistance that makes eating feel more satisfying."

Seeking emotional satisfaction through food texture is another factor.

“With inflation squeezing budgets, consumers are increasingly turning to texture as a way to feel their spending is worthwhile. A rich, dense texture heightens the sense of psychological satisfaction through the eating experience," Kim added.