Thanks to social media, we are capable of amusing ourselves even during a global crisis. Previously, pandemics were, almost always, entirely grim. But as we see every passing day with the COVID-19 outbreak, at least a section of the world’s population are enjoying themselves with Netflix parties, Instagram concerts, Twitter workout sessions and other high-spirited activities. And, one of the recent fads involves coffee.
Google Trends shows an ascent in Dalgona coffee’s popularity over the last month. Unlike fancy dishes that probably requires ingredients that you have not heard of before and hence are difficult to make, dalgona coffee is easy to prepare. Coffee powder, sugar, milk (or other substitutes) and water are all you need.
The first step is to mix (preferably with a whisk) the coffee, sugar and hot water — two tablespoons each, until it becomes a creamy paste. The second is to place this thick, frothy mix on top of the hot or cold milk (about 500 ml). That is it.
So, why is this fairly simple-to-make coffee becoming super-popular all of a sudden? As with most things that go viral, there isn’t a definite reason. But it gained traction when a Korean YouTuber posted an ASMR-style preparation of the coffee on YouTube (which, as of March 31, has close to four million views). Then, it started trending on TikTok, too.
Dalgona, however, isn’t a thing in India… yet.
