2020 / Video / Quarantine recipe challenge
Dalgona Coffee
Three pantry ingredients, one long whisk, and a photogenic cloud of coffee foam became a stay-at-home ritual.
The original is hosted off-site; this page provides context and a link to it.
What was this?
Creators whip instant coffee, sugar, and hot water until it turns thick and spoon the foam over milk.
Why it spread
Lockdown kitchens, TikTok’s visual recipe loop, and a low-cost ingredient list made the drink easy to attempt and compare.
What happened
Creators whip instant coffee, sugar, and hot water until it turns thick and spoon the foam over milk.
Where it came from
Korean creators popularized whipped coffee videos in early 2020; Hannah Cho’s TikTok helped move the Dalgona Coffee challenge into a wider English-language feed.
Why it mattered
Dalgona Coffee is a useful snapshot of pandemic-era participation: a small visual ritual that let isolated viewers make and share the same thing.
How it spread
Lockdown kitchens, TikTok’s visual recipe loop, and a low-cost ingredient list made the drink easy to attempt and compare.
Keep going
Related moments
“I’m bored in the house and I’m in the house bored” became a widely repeated refrain of early lockdown.
A broken-down commute, cranberry juice, and Fleetwood Mac became the most peaceful 22 seconds of 2020.
2020 · Web postRatatouille: The TikTok MusicalA short “Ode to Remy” developed into a collaboratively imagined Broadway musical on TikTok.
2021 · VideoEmily Mariko’s Salmon Rice BowlLeftover salmon, cold rice, an ice cube, and parchment paper drew millions of viewers to a lunch routine.