On the afternoon of the 16th, at a "malatang skewer" specialty shop in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. A couple in their 20s busily reached for skewers—30–40 cm wooden skewers threaded with samgyeopsal, fuju (tofu skin), and more, coated in a spicy seasoning. They said, "We kept seeing it on Instagram lately, so we came on purpose." A container outside the store was piled with hundreds of skewers customers had finished.
As malatang skewers spread quickly on social media (SNS), related shops are also increasing. Malatang skewers are a Chinese-style snack made by frying various ingredients and coating them with distinctive seasonings such as cumin (a Chinese spice). It is uncertain whether they will take hold as a Korean street food or remain a short-lived fad like "tanghulu."
Korea's first malatang skewer franchise opened in Yeonnam-dong in June. Since then, as exposure on SNS increased, more shops have opened. There are now about 25 franchise locations, with another 20 set to open. A representative of a malatang skewer company, identified as A, said, "Today, two men who run a Western-style restaurant came in and had a startup consultation."
Among customers visiting malatang skewer shops are Chinese international students and tourists, but the main customer base is Korean. Its popularity is attributed to being a "selectable convenience food" where customers can choose skewers to their taste and adjust the level of spiciness.
An office worker, a person surnamed Park (26), who ordered seven skewers at a malatang skewer shop in Yeonnam-dong on the 12th, said, "It suited my taste more than I expected, so I plan to come back." Another office worker, a person surnamed Hwang (29), also said, "As a single-person household, malatang is too much every time, but with skewers I can just eat two or three, so it's not a burden."
A person surnamed Bang (46), who said the person had lived in China for 13 years, said, "I was glad to taste the tingling mala flavor I had in China here in Korea."
Consumption of Chinese food continues to rise. According to the National Data Office, last year Chinese cuisine topped the restaurant category in sales for the first time (3.03 trillion won), surpassing Japanese, Western, and Korean cuisine.
However, some note that the wave of Chinese food trends spreading rapidly over a short period "is likely to remain a flash trend." There is also a widespread perception that, due to characteristics of Chinese cooking, excessive spices or spiciness are unhealthy. As such, caution is needed in franchising and startups.
Tanghulu is a representative case. According to licensing data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, from last year to this year, 182 shops with tanghulu in their business names closed. Under the same criteria, that is four times the 49 shops still in operation. Consumers concentrated their spending in a short period and then quickly felt "fatigue."
A person surnamed Song (28), who runs a malatang skewer shop, said, "I didn't expect (malatang skewer shops) to pop up all over the neighborhood," adding, "I prepared hard, but I worry it could become a menu that 'flares up quickly and cools quickly' in line with Korea's dining-out trends."