Korean Food's Cultural Qualities Appeal to Global Tastes
--Interview with The Asia Director of Le Cordon Bleu
"Rice Pudding with Orange Flavored Gimchi" and Chocolate Cake with Gimchi" might sound strange to many ears, but such menu items are being cooked up. In fact, they may be served to the public in the near future, along with the famous Korean barbecue and soybean paste soup.
Le Cordon Bleu, an international French cooking school, published Korean Gimchi & Le Cordon Bleu. Subtitled as A Meeting of Flavors, Tastes and Cultures, the book aims to apply modern cooking techniques to gimchi and show how it can be used in many ways. The Asia director of Le Cordon Bleu said, "It was an interesting and daring project to combine the traditional French approach with the symbol of Korean cuisine."
The seemingly difficult project was made possible as the developers at Le Cordon Bleu kept one thing in mind: keep the fundamentals right. "As long as Koreans keep the fundamentals of their food right, they can apply any cooking technique to their food," he said.
Citing the increasing number of Korean restaurants in Europe, he said the main factor of this recent trend ha to do with the special cultural qualities of Korean food, which he called "the most outstanding features of Korean food." "The delivery style of food --- whether it's multiple plates or barbecue on the table or sharing food --- is the unique social factor that people enjoy. It's something to have a good time with," he said. (239 words)