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‘Grandmillennial’ Trend Fuels Youth Demand for Traditional Snacks

The “Halmaenial” trend has made the tastes, sensitivity, styles, and range of favorite foods of Korea’s elderly popular among the young generation. A neologism combining “halmae,” a provincial dialect form of the Korean word for grandmother halmeoni, and “millennial,” the term refers to the retro trend of young people consuming traditional snacks and other favorites of the middle-aged and silver generations.

The trend has greatly boosted sales of traditional snacks and beverages, including injeolmi (sweet rice cake), yakgwa (deep-fried sweet cookies), and sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch). From September 17 to October 16, 2022, the online shopping mall Wemakeprice saw sales of rice cake-related products skyrocket an astounding 1,169%, and demand for other traditional snacks and beverages also jumped. For example, sales of monaka (sweet jam pie) increased by 112%; ppeongtwigi (puffed grain) 58%; nurungji (scorched rice) 24%; sujeonggwa 225%; and misutgaru (drinks containing powdered mixed grains) 84%. Time-honored domestic ingredients like black sesame, magnolia berry, and ripe persimmon are also gaining popularity, as they provide the older generation with a sense of nostalgia while bringing a new experience to young people. Health-conscious members of the younger generation are using those ingredients to satisfy their desire for healthy lifestyles.

At cafés, instead of coffee and cakes, the Halmaenial trend is often spurring younger people to order mugwort latte or yanggaeng (sweet red bean jelly). Food and beverage manufacturers are responding to the shift in the young generation’s tastes by churning out black sesame latte, bungeoppang (fish-shaped buns filled with red bean paste), and other such products.

Grandmillennialretro trendtraditional snackstraditional beveragesdomestic ingredientsmugwort latteyanggaeng