The churro, a cinnamon-flavored, fried-dough pastry stick originating from Spain, is becoming increasingly popular in South Korea, where more shops are offering the dessert than ever before.

In the past, churros were considered a special treat available only at select locations around the country, including amusement parks, ski resorts and movie theaters. Now, the snack comes in a variety of flavors and can be easily found in urban hotspots.

The first stores specializing in churros began popping up in popular shopping districts and college towns in 2010. These “churro shops” saw an explosive growth in number last year, rising from just four in 2013 to 21 officially registered stores in 2014.

Street Churros, a popular churro brand, opened its first branch in Itaewon in February 2014, and quickly expanded to establish 15 more stores in just one year. A long line of customers can often be seen in front of the Itaewon branch, where 3,000 churros are said to be sold every day.

One big factor that has helped establish the churro as a household snack in Korea is its low pricing. One churro typically costs 1,500 won to 2,500 won, which is considered relatively cheap compared to other sweets in the dessert market. 

That more Koreans are traveling to Spain, home of the cinnamon-flavored pastry stick, is lending a hand in boosting the snack’s popularity, industry watchers said.

Many of those who opened up churro shops in Korea reportedly did so after tasting the sugary treat in Spain and other countries where the snack is already popular.

A number of local department stores are bringing the churro into their food businesses as well. 

Hyundai Department Store opened pop-up shops selling the Spanish dessert in three of its branches last December, and recorded a profit of over 50 million won in just three weeks. A churro pop-up shop is currently open at its Sinchon branch until mid-February.

Churro 101, located inside the Galleria Department Store in Gangnam, sold over 12,000 churros in one year, and often tops the department store’s “494 Tasty Chart” restaurant ranking.

Major companies in the local snack industry have recently begun jumping on to the bandwagon and launching new snacks based on the churro.

Last month, Crown Confectionery launched a new churro-flavored stick snack called Churut while Nongshim launched a rivaling Whole Wheat Corn, another churro-inspired snack.

“We are planning to focus on launching more desserts popular among young Koreans like the churro this year,” a Nongshim official told Yonhap.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)