While street food can be exciting to consume, is it worth receiving stomach burns over? In Indonesia, several children have reportedly suffered stomach burns after eating a popular liquid nitrogen street snack called “chiki ngebul.”
Also known as “dragon’s breath,” the street snack is an array of rainbow-colored candies that have been coated in liquid nitrogen, which creates a mist. Health experts are now warning that if the snack is eaten before the liquid nitrogen has evaporated, it poses a very real risk of intestinal burns and perforations.
Over 20 children have since been diagnosed with stomach burns after allegedly filming themselves eating chiki ngebul as part of yet another dangerous TikTok trend. To combat this video trend, Deputy Governor of West Java, Uu Ruzhanul Ulum, banned the sales of liquid nitrogen-infused snacks. Local authorities have also been urged to check the ingredients used by street vendors to ensure they are safe for kids.
The controversy surrounding the ban of chiki ngebul in Indonesia has sparked a heated online debate. Before video sharing platforms on TikTok, many claimed that the liquid nitrogen-infused candy had been sold on the street for years without any reported accidents.