What does Dalgona Coffee have to do with Lemonade?

A few weeks ago, I heard of Dalgona coffee for the first time while catching up with a friend. I had completely forgotten about it until a few days later when someone posted about their Dalgona coffee.  Being a coffee lover, I was definitely curious. Since I kept seeing it pop up everywhere, I needed to find out what the buzz was all about.

Dalgona Coffee

Made with instant coffee, sugar, hot water. Beaten until foamy.  Added to milk.  As with other social media sensations, photogenic, of course. Reportedly from South Korea and named for a candy found there.

But, wait. Instant coffee, sugar, beaten into a creamy consistency? A delicious, sweet, frothy, whipped delight?  Sounded very familiar to me.

I am suddenly taken back to my childhood trips to India. To memories of my grandmother and aunts and uncles and cousins and neighbors feverishly swirling spoons in mugs resulting in a thick foamy cream that would then be topped with hot milk.   Always made at home, never at a restaurant or at a stand.  I don’t recall a name for this concoction.  I think we just referred to it as “that coffee you make by beating it in a mug” or something like that.

I moved to the U.S. as an infant but every few years, my immediate family would travel to India during our summer vacations.   Without doubt, my sister and I would be incredibly spoiled by every single member of our large extended family.  In my Indian family, as with many other families around the world, spoiling and food are synonymous, and my sister and I were a captive audience, happy to be indulged.

My Mom typically cooked Indian food for us at home, but when we went to India, we were always very excited to be presented with all the things we typically didn’t have when we were home.  From unusual fruits, to spicy street foods, to home cooked meals that were sometimes different than what my Mom would make, this “beaten coffee” was one amongst the many special drink treats we would have.

There was also homemade lassi, the yogurt drink made meethi (sweet with sugar) or namkeen (salty and minty).  We were generally asked what our preference for the day was.  There was nimbu pani (lemon water), which was handmade with very small lemons and crystal sugar that looked different than the big lemons and white sugar at home.  This lemon water or lemonade was one of my favorites. Although it was tasty when we tried to recreate it at home, it never really tasted the same.

Gulab ka Sharbat (Rose Sharbat), a drink that may be found in India as well as Western Asian countries and Indonesia. This is a green sharbat known made with khus syrup.

Badam doodh (almond milk), was a mix of crushed almonds and sugar mixed into your milk, left gritty with the pieces of almonds, not smooth.  The grittiness of the almonds was what made it so good.  And, when we stayed with my Uncle, my cousin would take us on a stroll to the neighborhood market. We would be sure to get freshly squeezed mosambi (a citrus fruit) juice mixed with salt and spices. I remember to this day how perfectly refreshing it was on those hot summer days in India.

To be honest, although we enjoyed most of what we were offered, we certainly didn’t like everything.  I remember a summer in India where it seemed like we were greeted in every single home we visited with a drink called sharbat or sherbet.   Made with roohafza, an herby rose infused syrup, mixed with water, although it looked like a fun red fruit punch, I definitely didn’t care for it.  Nonetheless, I always smiled since so much love was behind it (while I still secretly took my time sipping it).  There was a green version, made with khus, a vetiver infused syrup, which I definitely liked much better but I don’t remember being offered this one very often. As an adult, I do like the taste of rose infused sweets so I wonder if I would enjoy sharbat if I tried it again?

Getting back to Dalgona coffee, is this the “beaten coffee” I had as a child?   

A Google search will lead you to countless articles in the news media and in blogs about everything from the history and origins of this coffee, to recipes, tips and variations.  Apparently, 4 ingredient versions of beaten coffee are found not only in India and South Korea, but in other parts of the world as well.  They may vary slightly in the process from one place to another, may be served hot in some places while cold in others and may look different from each other (I don’t remember my beaten coffee looking as pretty as the photos on social media feeds these days).  Whether “phenti or phitti hui” which is what I learned it is sometimes called in India and Pakistan, “frappé” in Greece, Dalgona in South Korea or some other name in another country, these coffees all seem to be variations of a similar theme.  And, it’s just another thing that has become a trend in this time we find ourselves in.

At the moment, we can’t meet for coffee, but for the time being, we can create a pleasing coffee drink that we can share with each other virtually.  Comfort is something we are craving during these times, and for many of us, the smell of coffee may be comforting, like the smell of vanilla or warm spices, whether we drink coffee or not. And, for me, hearing about Dalgona coffee just brought me back to nimbu pani or lemonade and the nostalgia of my childhood summers in India.

French market from our visit in December 2019.

Food is such a core part of what connects us to one another, whether it’s shared with our families and friends or with strangers halfway around the globe.   The interest in global cuisine has evolved along with our palettes.   Going to our favorite Thai restaurant had become quite the norm for many of us. For now, we may try to recreate a version of our favorite dish at home until we can go back to that restaurant we love so much.  And, of course, having a curry in Thailand, when made with the local, fresh ingredients just takes it to a different place like the lemonade I had in India.

Food and drink have become such an integral part of travel allowing us to connect in perhaps the easiest way to other cultures.  Visiting another country has become not just about dining at the finest restaurants, which still has its merits, but also about immersing yourself in the “real” food of the destination.  That could be discovering the everyday specialties in the establishments that locals eat at.  Or enjoying a private meal or a cooking class hosted by a chef or a grandmother in their home, each happy to share the secrets of their cuisine. Focused food and drink tastings of everything from vinegar to tea to chocolate. Exploring markets to find the freshest local products including fruits, vegetables, and cheeses.  Or, to stumble upon items such as fragrant spices or handmade artisan jams and chutneys that you can pack in your suitcase to bring home and be reminded of that destination you fell in love with.

Cambodian specialty, being freshly prepared by a woman (not pictured). From our visit to Cambodia in December 2015.

These types of experiences are also about connecting with people.  Some of the most memorable people I have met while traveling, I have met through food, whether that was the server at a restaurant in Venice that made sure that my gluten free needs were taken care of, or the woman in Cambodia who greeted us with a warm smile as she showed us how she made the local specialty she was selling, or the passionate olive oil producer who taught us how to taste olive oil.

Until we can travel again to explore cultures through their cuisines firsthand, making our own versions can be that momentary vehicle to transport us to a newfound food discovery and culture from another part of the world.  And, maybe, like Dalgona coffee, it also takes us to a place of comfort and connection in the way only food can.

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