Ashraf Siddiqui
Doha
A three-day Korean Fermented Food Festival was held from October 3-5 in Qatar University Library premises.A cooking contest under the theme of ‘collaboration of Kimchi and Arabic cuisine’ organised by Qatar University South Korean Club students demonstrated how Korean fermented food could take a surprisingly pleasant starring role in typical Qatari dishes.
Inaugurating the festival, South Korean Ambassador to Qatar, HE Lee Joon-ho thanked Qatar University, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Korean Food Promotion Institution, Qatar University Korean Club, and the Institute of Traditional Korean Food for the support and cooperation offered to the Embassy for holding the event.
He expressed his special gratitude to Prof. Dr. Sook ja Yoon, Chair of the Institute of Traditional Korean Food, a noted Korean food expert with more than 40 years of experience, for his presence at the event and support.
The Korean envoy to Qatar said that nowadays K-pop, K-dramas and movies are gaining world-wide popularity. "And this ‘Korean wave’ has now spilt over to food as well. Korean food has already taken over the shelves of supermarkets and the palates of foodies here in Doha,” he said.
Many hotels and restaurants are now incorporating Korean flavours in their menus and product lines. Korean restaurants and groceries have sprouted in Qatar as more and more people are trying out Korean cuisine to discover the Korean culture through food.
"I often hear my colleague ambassadors and good friends talking about their favourite Korean food, and I sometimes bump into them at one of the Korean restaurants here in Qatar,” he said.
The envoy said, "I am very proud and pleased as my country’s ambassador to see the ‘Korean food wave’ in Doha. The Korean Food Festival itself was an opportunity to experience the amazingly rich, versatile and savoury world of Korean fermented dishes.”
He said he was not a food expert but as Korean, he himself cannot imagine Korean food without ‘Kimchi’ and the iconic Korean condiments ‘Jang’. These were featured prominently throughout the event by Professor Yoon through her series of lectures, cooking demonstrations and even cooking classes with her secret recipe.
He said that the food festival will not be only prove to be a catalyst, but also a driver for an even stronger "Korean food wave” in Qatar.He expressed his belief that the event will eventually contribute to further deepening Korea-Qatar relations by promoting better understanding on each other’s culture.
The 2022 Korean Fermented Food Festival included an exhibition, lecture, tasting session, cooking class and competition offering visitors the chance to experience distinct Korean food cultures all in one place.
The event exhibited 55 types of fermented delicacies introducing the three main jangs of Korea ‘Doenjang’ (soybean paste), ‘Ganjang’(soy sauce) and ‘Gochujang’(red pepper paste), in addition to the various types of kimchi. There was a large display of kimchi-themed dishes and fusion cuisine bringing together elements of Qatari and Korean culinary traditions.
Participants had a chance to learn about the amazingly rich, versatile and savoury world of Korean fermented food through the lecture by Prof. Dr. Sook ja Yoon, Chair of the Institute of Traditional Korean Food and one of the great Korean food experts with more than 40 years of experience. At various cooking demonstrations, Prof. Dr. Yoon showcased how to make fresh Cabbage Kimchi. And it was followed by tasting session for the participants.
She also demonstrated about the secret recipes for cooking Korean food with Kimchi such as ‘Diced Cucumber Kimchi’, ‘Kimchi Gimbap’ and ‘Kimchi Riceball’ during her workshop.
Dr. Sook ja Yoon was the first person who made a standardised recipes for the Korean food by quantifying the ingredients’ amount which was usually described as a ‘proper amount’. She has been at the forefront of popularisation and modernisation of Korean food by re-cooking and reinterpreting the traditional Korean food’s cooking recipes.
She has dedicated herself in promoting ‘Korean Food Recipes that anyone can easily follow’ through her frequent visits to various regions across the world, appearing on TV shows and through her YouTube Channel "Go K-food by Professor Yoon”.