Sawt Falasteen - South Koreans go cuckoo for 'Dubai-style' cookies

Springboarding off a global craze for "Dubai chocolate" -- a pistachio-filled chocolate bar layered with fine shredded pastry known as kadaif -- and fuelled by K-pop endorsements, "Dujjonku" have become a phenomenon in South Korea.

Online searches for the dessert surged more than twenty-fold in the last three months, according to data from Naver, the country's largest search engine.

Searches on food delivery apps for the snacks jumped by 1,500 times last month.

And one developer even created an online map to track which shops still have stock remaining -- convenience store versions have also repeatedly sold out.

Customers have lined up outside shops in the early hours of the morning, even as temperatures have plunged in South Korea's bitter winter.

"Even without much initial interest, once you hear that everyone else is eating it, you start wondering just how good it must be," Nam Su-yeon, a 28-year-old office worker, told AFP.

"That curiosity leads you to buy it and try it once, then to think another place might be even better," she said.

- Give blood for cookies -

The Korean Red Cross, which has long struggled with a shortage of blood donors, even began offering the cookies instead of its usual sugary snacks.

It resulted in an early morning rush, with some donation centres reporting turnout at double usual levels.

To make them, cafes melt marshmallows to create a chewy outer layer mixed with chocolate, then fill individual portions with pistachio cream and kadaif before dusting the top with cocoa powder.

They don't come cheap -- weighing at just 50 grams, the average price for the dessert currently stands at 6,500 won ($4.40).

Purchases are often limited to two per person, probably for the best given a single cookie can pack up to 500 calories.

That's sparked health warnings from experts, with Korea University Guro Hospital saying the dessert can "immediately disrupt the body's metabolic balance" and "threaten the overall health... beyond simple weight gain".

The craze is partly driven by celebrity endorsements from K-pop stars.

Jang Won-young of girl-group IVE posted a photo on Instagram with her lips dusted in chocolate powder -- sparking another trend for the "Dujjonku lip".

"It definitely seems like a viral phenomenon," Hwang Jae-kyoung, a 34-year-old office worker, told AFP.

"In particular, celebrities seem to play a role."

The price "makes sense from a market perspective, but from a consumer's point of view, it is honestly expensive," added Hwang.

The trend appears to be spreading to neighbouring China as well, with the hashtag "dubaichocholate" drawing more than 329 million views on Instagram-like Xiaohongshu.

The craze has also sent prices of raw materials soaring.

A kilo of unshelled pistachios has surged fourfold month-on-month since mid-January.

And the price of 500 grams of kadaif has doubled, according to price-tracking app Fallcent.

The frenzy has spilled into unexpected areas.

Sushi and traditional Korean restaurants have begun making the desserts in a lucrative side hustle.

Office worker Nam said they were also addictive.

"Before long you find yourself going somewhere else to try it again," she said.

B.AbuZeid--SF-PST