Monday, May 2, 2011

ADV - There is Something Special about Globally Successful Food

As the world becoming more and more globalized, there's so much possibilities tasting another country's national food. I like Plov (Uzbekistan national food, I think ^^), Peking Duck (China's but not too much as the skin is very oily), Pizza (So called Italian food lah), Hot and spicy Indian and Malay food and of course, 전 or Jeon, also known as Korean pancake.


When I was in my Korean language class, we used to have outings/field trips every semester. This one was in a Cooking School. We made Kimbap (김밥) and Bulgogi (불고기)

Everything we buy these days, some might be imported from other countries like Perrier water from France (It tasted almost like any other carbonated water, just the price that makes it "superior" so don't be fooled) to onions imported from India (and sold in Malaysia) So as time passes, the imported ingredients were used to make local food taste better.


Nice to see, nice to drink, price to pay - it burns your pocket, literally.


Korean version of spaghetti from Pasta Beuno, near my campus. See the amount of sauce in it. Is it spaghetti?

Many foreign food too are gradually adapted to fit the local's taste and preferences. This is why Thai's Tomyum Soup is ultra spicy when you try it in Thailand. If you do not wish to pass out chili bomb in the toilet or stomach cramps later on, then try the milder Thai food in other country or simply ask the chef to tone down the fiery chili sauce.

So in this article by WSK, it's all about food. Do read it out!

**

Do you think it is possible to attract everyone in the world with the same food? It is not simply a question about Korean food. Even if it does has an excellent taste, it is almost impossible to satisfy 7 billion people around the world. Nevertheless, there are many foreign dishes that had became favorite food among many countries.

For example, pizza of Italy, Sushi of Japan, Curry of India and Pho of Vietnam are loved by many people around the world. Even though some people do not know where those countries are located, they know exactly where the top gourmet restaurants serving such dishes are. Well then, let’s take a look inside the secrets of a globally successful food!

Reborn as Korean foods


That meal couldn't be found in China, Jajangmyeon

In Thailand, Jajangmyeon was selected as the most ‘want-to-try’ food of Korea among young people. It is not a surprising result because many Thais were already so into Korean dramas and musics that are sweeping over the country. However, Koreans themselves don’t regard Jajangmyeon as a Korean food.

The name of Jajangmyeon was derived from the word ‘Zhajiangmian(炸酱面)’ in Chinese. In the past, many ordinary Chinese used to add ‘Chunjiang(椿酱)’ or Chinese fermented soybean paste into the noodle. Like many Chinese who settled in other countries, Chinese in Korea also have this noodle but in a little different way by adding caramel, vegetables and meats.

As time passes by, the way of cooking Zhajiangmian and its ingredients have been changed to fit the Koreans' taste buds and it is now called "Jajangmyeon".

There are a number of foreign dishes loved by Koreans even if they haven’t been altered as much as Jajangmyeon to suit local tastes. For example, there is a huge difference between the Korea-made pizza and Italy-made pizza which is baked over stove. Unlike the original pizza with one or two fresh ingredients on its thin and crispy bread, Korea-made pizza has lots of toppings and the sauce is generously poured on its soft and thick bread. Yes, it was changed to fit the Koreans’ tastes who love soft and chewy food.

As the Italian pizza became Americanized in the US, many things including the ingredients (dough) and even the method of cooking were also changed. After then, the Americanized pizza arrived in Korea and it once again undergone a change. Even though many Koreans love pizza by itself, there are lots of pizza companies now trying to develop their own pizzas to fit the Koreans taste buds who are accustomed to spicy food.


Italian pasta with little sauce


Koreanized pasta lots of sauce

Pasta is another similar example. It came to Korea not from Italy but from Italian restaurant in the US and Japan. Pasta undergone a change again in Korea, now they have new styles and tastes.

Well, there is a significant difference between the pasta which is commonly sold in Korea and the original pasta. This is done by comparing the amount of sauce. The Italian pasta which is one of favorite dishes among common people originally has little sauce. However in Korea, people used to have ‘one dish for every meal’ so the amount of sauce had increased like a noodle soup and this satisfied Koreans' preferences.

Another interesting fact here is that Kimchi and sometimes Gochujang(red pepper paste) added pasta are being exported overseas. People had said that it can be called the "re-exportation" of pasta. ‘Ramyeon’ is another example of an exported foreign food from Korea. It was first made in Japan and ramyeon which had arrived in Korea in late 1950s has become one of the biggest food exported overseas in Korea.

Since 2000, ramyeon industry in Korea has begun to rise rapidly and exported ramyeon to Japan which is the home of ramyeon. Moreover, Korean ramyeon product was ranked as the "Globally Recognized Brand" by TokyoTV.

Successful Cases. We are More Delicious and Exclusive!

Edited until here but if you are curious for more, read over here at this link

3 comments:

Eleonora said...

Plov!!! :) We are cooking it tomorrow at School Food Festival. You should come and eat :) http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170396086347915&ref=ts

kyle said...

I would love to go but it's too far from Daegu. Will visit you in Kaist and remember, 1 plov for me :)

Eleonora said...

definitely!!!! :)

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