'Dubai' Dessert Trend Sweeps Korea: From Macarons to Bingsu and Gimbap
Creatrip Team
7 months ago
A wave of 'Dubai'-style desserts is sweeping South Korea as the 2024 Dubai chocolate craze morphs into chewy cookie (두쫀쿠)–inspired treats. Convenience stores and dessert shops are reinterpreting the core ingredients—chocolate, pistachio, and kadaif (카다이프) pastry threads—into products such as stuffed 'thick' macarons (뚱카롱), bingsu (shaved ice dessert), ice cream sorbets, and even a gimbap (김밥)–shaped sweet roll. Examples include Seven Eleven’s Kadaif Thick Macaron, CU’s Kadaif Chewy Macaron, GS25’s Dubai Choco Sorbet with crispy kadaif mix, and Sulbing’s Dubai Choco Bingsu, which surpassed one million cumulative sales. Retailers and department stores are showcasing multiple Dubai-style items at pop-up events. Industry observers say the trend is driven by social media shareability and a desire for small luxuries ("small luxury") amid economic uncertainty, with consumers valuing the experience and novelty as much as taste and price.
