On Monday (October 3rd), the Korean Cultural Center to Belgium & EU(Director KIM Dongeun) invited Buddhist monk Jeong Gwan, an expert in temple cuisine, to a demonstration event on making traditional Korean soy sauce and soybean paste at the Event Hall of the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) located in downtown Brussels.

This event was divided into an expert session with 60 local chefs and a public session with 80 general Korean food lovers. Seats were sold out within two days after reservations began, demonstrating the high level of interest in Korean food in the local area.

Jeonggwan first explained the definition, characteristics, and cooking method of temple food, which is the basis of his culinary world, and then demonstrated traditional betting techniques.

Jeonggwan said, “The basics of Korean food are soybean paste and soy sauce. Korean cuisine cannot be complete without these two things. I hope that participants will gain a deeper understanding of Korean food by learning the process of making jang.”

A demonstration was given of placing the chunks of soybean sprouts directly brought from Korea into a prepared traditional jar and adding salt water, and explained the ratio of salt water added and the maturation period. Participants were very interested in the fact that, after maturation, the aged liquid in the jar becomes soy sauce, and the soybean curd itself becomes soybean paste.

In addition, we introduced how to make temple kimchi using locally sourced ingredients. It explained in detail how to make temple kimchi using various ingredients such as cabbage and radish, but without adding green onions or garlic. Participants tasted pre-prepared temple kimchi and focused on what ingredients were included and how to cook it.

Chef Sanghoon Degeimbre of Michelin two-star restaurant 'L'Air Du Temps', who participated in the event, said, "In the past 10 years, European cuisine has been gaining a lot of inspiration from Korean food, including kimchi and fermentation techniques. . “The number of recipes by European chefs using Korean soybean paste is increasing,” he said, emphasizing that Korean food is highly recognized globally.

Mr. Diaz, a participant who introduced himself as a Korean food lover, said, “It was good to be able to learn about temple food. “Even though it is a vegetarian diet, it is an excellent dish in terms of health and aesthetics, so I want to learn it myself,” he said, expressing satisfaction.

The Korean Cultural Center in Belgium runs regular cooking classes for locals and introduces a wide range of Korean food on a variety of topics, including traditional Korean alcohol, Korean vegetarian cuisine, and street food.