Korean cuisine has been garnering attention in British media. The Telegraph, a London-based daily, reported that Korean food has started to create a buzz in its article, "Korean food: a spice sensation taking Britain by storm," on September 10.

The broadsheet said that Korean-American chef Judy Joo is going to open a restaurant, Jinjuu, in the Soho District of London in November and that she will be cooking on her new television program, "Korean Food Made Simple," starting early next year. It also reported that Joo has simplified her recipes for traditional Korean foods for Western cooks, giving an example of bossam, sliced, caramelized pork belly served with lettuce leaves, pickles and soy bean and garlic paste. The newspaper also introduced hotteok, a shallow-fried treat made from a disc of soft dough with crushed peanuts, sugar, salt and cinnamon as filling.



The newspaper reported that Korean food is already a big deal in the U.S. "With Michelle Obama tweeting her own kimchi recipe, and Gwyneth Paltrow cooking bibimbap on YouTube, Korean barbecues have become staples in most American cities, where kimchi is the new miso," it wrote.

Korean cuisine hasn’t penetrated the British restaurant scene as the Korean community in the U.K. is not as big as it is elsewhere, but things are changing, it reported.

"Korean food is healthy, flavorful... It's punchy, lively," Joo was quoted as saying. "Korean cuisine might not quite have penetrated the wider consciousness yet, but with dishes like this it should," the newspaper said. Speaking of kimchi, it also said that, "It is certainly out there in terms of flavor -- sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy in equal measure."

Speaking of how to get kimchi, it explained that people can buy it from Korean supermarkets, safely vacuum-packed, and that it’s also available online and that it’s probably best not to try to make kimchi yourself, unless you have a dedicated fridge. It "stinks out" anything with which it comes in contact, the paper said.

"Gourmet food vendors, such as Kimchi Cult, Busan BBQ and Galbi Bros have started to create a buzz about Korean food, with queues regularly snaking down the street for their bulgogi burgers and crispy Korean chicken," the newspaper said.

The article also gave a tip about eating Korean food. "Koreans love to share and dishes arrive all at once, sometimes up to 20 different bowls," it said. "Don’t worry, however, as you order your own main course, usually made up of rice, porridge or dumplings, plus all the side dishes you can imagine."


By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
jun2@korea.kr