Competition poster

The Korean Cultural Center in Brazil (CCCB) announces the opening of applications for the “Korean Cooking Contest 2025: Jang.” The competition will be held in partnership with Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, and Centro Universitário Estácio São Paulo.

The contest will be divided into three stages: online selection, in-person semifinal, and in-person final. The first two stages will be conducted separately by each participating institution, while the final will be held jointly, bringing together the top two semifinalists from each institution.

All essential information regarding the contest is detailed in the official announcement, which is mandatory reading for all participants. The full document is available on the official CCCB website.

About the Competition

● General Objectives

○ Promote cultural exchange between Brazil and Korea through gastronomy.
○ Encourage talented individuals to showcase their skills in Korean cuisine.

● Theme: Jang (장, in Korean)

○ In Korean cuisine, jang refers to fermented sauces and pastes that form the foundation of nearly all traditional Korean dishes. They connect tradition, nutrition, and flavor. The three most iconic types of jang are:

• ■ Ganjang (fermented soy sauce, rich in umami and saltiness)
  

• ■ Doenjang (fermented soybean paste, deep and earthy in flavor)
  

• ■ Gochujang (fermented red chili paste, slightly sweet and spicy)
  

○ Jang represents centuries of culinary wisdom, fermentation preservation techniques, and respect for natural ingredients. Rich in probiotics and essential nutrients, it embodies the principle that good food also nourishes health.

○ In traditional Korean households, preparing jang is almost a family ritual, passed down through generations. According to UNESCO, “the practice encompasses the entire process of making, preserving, and consuming jang, from preparing soybeans and other ingredients to ensuring proper conditions for fermentation, aging, and storage. Jang can be combined with vegetables, fish, and meat, and is also used for food preservation.”

Requirements

Applications will be divided by institution. See below for specific eligibility criteria.

○ Korean Cultural Center in Brazil

■ Must be 18 years or older.
■ Must hold a valid passport.
■ Must be available to travel to South Korea in December 2025.

○ Universidade Anhembi Morumbi

■ Must be officially enrolled in a Technologist or Bachelor’s degree in Gastronomy.
■ Must hold a valid passport.
■ Must be available to travel to South Korea in December 2025.

○ Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie

■ Must be officially enrolled in a Technologist degree in Gastronomy.
■ Must hold a valid passport.
■ Must be available to travel to South Korea in December 2025.

○ Centro Universitário Estácio São Paulo

■ Must be officially enrolled in a Technologist degree in Gastronomy.
■ Must hold a valid passport.
■ Must be available to travel to South Korea in December 2025.

Awards

○ 1st place: Trip to South Korea, including round-trip airfare, accommodation, transfers, meals, and technical visits.
○ 2nd place: Basket of Korean food products (20 items).
○ 3rd place: Basket of Korean food products (15 items).

About the Selection Process

IMPORTANT: Each institution is responsible for receiving and evaluating its own applications. Therefore, Anhembi Morumbi, Mackenzie, and Estácio will select their students through their internal processes, while the Korean Cultural Center in Brazil will evaluate applications from the general public.

This section covers only the CCCB’s timeline. For information regarding other institutions, refer to the full announcement and/or contact them directly.

● 1st Stage: Online Selection

○ Application period: October 8–26, 2025, until 11:59 p.m. (Brasília time)
○ Application method: Google Forms

■ Link: https://forms.gle/2Fh3JWBNv9ikTSLg8
■ Applications submitted by other means will not be accepted.

■ When applying via Google Forms, candidates must provide personal details and upload the following materials:

● 1) “Application Form and Recipe” – fully completed (attached).
● 2) A video showing the preparation of the recipe.
● 3) A photo of the finished dish.

○ Applicants are responsible for submitting materials according to the specifications in the official announcement.
○ CCCB will select five finalists, who will be notified by email within five days after the end of the application period.

○ Applications will be evaluated according to the criteria described in the official announcement.
○ For more details about the evaluation criteria, refer to the image below:

Criteria for Online Stage Evaluation Items: Recipe, appearence (picture), preparing process (video) Details: Recipe: Judged by recipe sent in the formulary, clarity and simplicity (measurements, step-by-step, portions), ingredients balance Appearence (picture): judged by picture sent in the formulary, plating, color, composition and visual appeal Preparing process (video): judged by the video sent in the formulary, technique precision (cutting, fire, time), organization and higyene, didactics/atitute while explaining the dish

● 2nd Stage: In-person Semifinal

○ The in-person semifinals will be organized independently by each participating institution according to their own schedules. Each semifinal will include five participants selected during the online stage. See below the details for the CCCB’s semifinal.

○ Date: November 3, 2025
○ Time: To be announced
○ Location: Korean Cultural Center in Brazil
○ Address: Av. Paulista, 460, Bela Vista, São Paulo/SP

○ For more details about the second stage, refer to the official announcement.

● 3rd Stage: In-person Final

○ The final will feature eight participants, two from each participating institution, selected from the semifinals.

○ Date: November 17, 2025
○ Time: 1 p.m. (subject to change)
○ Location: Korean Cultural Center in Brazil
○ Address: Av. Paulista, 460, Bela Vista, São Paulo/SP

○ For more details about the final stage, refer to the official announcement.

Final Considerations

● Applicants are responsible for any disadvantages resulting from false information, incomplete forms, or missing required documentation.
● Applicants must review the official announcement on the Korean Cultural Center in Brazil’s website before submitting their application. Once submitted, no changes will be accepted.
● For questions, please contact the contest coordinator Mideum Seo at mideum@kccbrazil.com.br.