Why Are South Koreans Obsessed With Edible Starch Toothpicks And What Is It?
In South Korea, a strange cuisine fad using an unusual ingredient has acquired popularity on social media. Numerous videos circulating online show people boiling or stir-frying toothpicks.
In South Korea, a strange cuisine fad using an unusual ingredient has acquired popularity on social media. Numerous videos circulating online show people boiling or stir-frying toothpicks.
What are South Koreans selling?
South Korean restaurants and supermarkets regularly sell colored toothpicks | Image: YouTube Screengrab
South Korean restaurants and supermarkets regularly sell colored toothpicks manufactured from maize or sweet potato starch. These toothpicks differ significantly from the wooden toothpicks used in India.
People use starch-based toothpicks because they are more sustainable. However, the South Korean government is concerned about the growing number of individuals ingesting them and the associated health concerns.
Why did the authorities issues a warning?
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On January 24, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued a warning, cautioning and urging people not to eat or cook with toothpicks. "Their safety as food has not been confirmed.
Please do not consume them," the authority stated in a post on X.
A YouTube viewer commented on a video showing a person frying toothpicks that turn into an appetizing-looking shape, saying, "The fact that u have to put warning labels on toothpicks that says 'Do not eat' is scary. Social media needs to go."
Another person wrote, ¡°Look up South Korean toothpicks. They are made from corn or potato starch and sorbitol, a fruit sugar alcohol. Green food coloring is often added. They are meant to be biodegradable not exactly ingested."
How other unusual things are on the market in South Korea?
This isn't the only unusual and perhaps harmful culinary fad that has gone widespread on social media.
In early 2018, the "Tide Pod Challenge" encouraged individuals to consume Tide Pods, a laundry detergent product used in washing machines. The challenge resulted in multiple poisonings. In reaction, Google and Facebook pulled videos featuring the challenge.
Check the videos surfacing here.
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