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From cookies to cabbage bibimbap, viral food trends send ingredient prices soaring

Published: 16 Mar. 2026, 18:30 Updated: 16 Mar. 2026, 19:16

Spring cabbage is displayed at a market in Seoul on March 4. [YONHAP]

From sugary tanghulu fruit skewers to Dubai chewy cookies and now spring cabbage bibimbap, viral food trends on social media are increasingly driving short-term spikes in ingredient prices, according to Korea Price Information (KPI).

The price of 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of kataifi — a key ingredient in Dubai chewy cookies — rose from 18,900 won ($12.60) between September and October of last year to 31,800 won in February, a jump of 68.3 percent in about four months, according to KPI.

Dubai chewy cookies are a dessert made by mixing kataifi, a Middle Eastern shredded pastry, with pistachio cream and wrapping it in marshmallow. The trend accelerated after IVE member Jang Won-young introduced the snack on social media.

The cost of pistachios, another key ingredient, also rose. The cost of 400 grams increased from 18,000 won before the trend to 24,000 won, up 33.3 percent.

The price of the finished dessert climbed even more sharply. A single Dubai chewy cookie, which sold for about 3,000 won before the trend, rose to 6,500 won afterward, an increase of 116.7 percent.

The craze then spread to spring cabbage, or bomdong, bibimbap, pushing up the price of ingredients.

Customers line up to purchase a “Dubai chewy roll” at a Starbucks store in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 30. [YONHAP]

Before the trend began in late January, 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of spring cabbage sold for about 4,500 won. As recipe and eating videos spread across social media, the price rose to 6,000 won in early March, up 33.3 percent. The price of a bowl of bomdong bibimbap also climbed during the same period, rising from 8,000 won to 12,000 won, an increase of 50 percent.

Price surges linked to viral foods are not new, but analysts say the cycle is becoming shorter.

In 2023, tanghulu experienced a similar boom. The price per skewer rose from 1,500 won before the trend in February to 3,500 won by October, an increase of 133.3 percent.

Prices of key ingredients also rose, with strawberries up 50 percent and sugar increasing 20.5 percent.

Fruit skewers called tanghulu are displayed at a tanghulu shop in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Oct. 17, 2023. [NAM SOO-HYOUN]

However, the tanghulu craze faded quickly. Nationwide sales peaked in September 2023 but began dropping sharply the following month. By April of the next year, an average of two tanghulu shops were closing each day, according to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

“People are now hyperconnected through social media, and with growing anxiety about the future, many seek small but certain pleasures,” Suh Yong-gu, a professor of business administration at Sookmyung Women’s University, said. “While past trends tended to last at least one year, demand now surges and fades within three to four months.”

Viral foods can rapidly concentrate demand for specific ingredients, Lee Dong-hun, head of research at KPI, said.

“As certain foods spread quickly through social media, demand for related ingredients becomes concentrated in a short period of time,” Lee said. “This can lead to sharp price increases and supply instability, increasing market volatility.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY NAM SOO-HYOUN [[email protected]]