Korean food festival spotlights oft-forgotten delicacy: Sauce

Top chefs discussed Korea's jang culture at a recent conference in Seoul, highlighting its culinary significance.

Chef Kim Do-yoon of Michelin-starred restaurant Yun Seoul leads a workshop on seafood and jang (Korean fermented sauces and pastes) at his restaurant in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [KOREAN FOOD PROMOTION AGENCY]

“Jang and hanwoo are inseparable,” executive chef Min Kyung-hwan said, on a recent Thursday, at an intimate gathering of chefs and foodies on the basement floor of upscale hanwoo restaurant Born & Bred in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul. “They pair exceptionally, adding an umami-forward saltiness.”

Though the venue was devoted to homegrown beef, the main topic of the evening was the fermented soybean pastes and sauces collectively known, in Korea, as jang. Throughout the evening, the chef shared Born & Bred’s housemade jang recipes, which incorporate barley into ssamjang (a mix of gochujang and soybean paste) for texture, and cheollijang, which uses powdered dry beef and ganjang (soy sauce).

The event, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institution (KFPI), was one of a series of workshops spotlighting jang that took place over the course of the past week, during which the best of the country's chefs, including Cho Hee-sook, whom Asia's 50 Best Restaurants named Asia's Best Female Chef by in 2020; Kim Do-yun of Michelin-starred restaurant Yun Seoul; and Cho Eun-hee and Park Sung-bae of Michelin-starred Onjium displayed the versatility of the fermented sauces, from their uses in vegetables to seafood and meat.

Born & Bred’s housemade fermented sauce, cheollijang (powdered dry beef and soy sauce) with Korean beef, known as hanwoo [KOREAN FOOD PROMOTION AGENCY]

“Korea’s jang culture is an important asset of our cuisine,” said Jeon Hae-woong, acting chair of the KFPI. “We are looking to have it listed as Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage later this year, and we will continue to provide various programs to enhance the value of Korean food and strengthen its branding in the global market.”

Chef Kang Min-goo of Mingles, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant ranked No. 44 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024, kicked off the first session with “Ancient Future: Jang in Korea” [KOREAN FOOD PROMOTION AGENCY]

The workshops culminated in Friday's second annual Hansik Conference. More than 200 guests attended, including global gastronomy experts, chefs, media, and members of the restaurant industry.

Chef Kang Min-goo of Mingles, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant that ranked No. 44 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024, kicked off the first session with “Ancient Future: Jang in Korea,” emphasizing that jang is a key, symbolic element of Korean cuisine and an important national asset.

“If we understand the role of jang in food and how it tastes, rather than just using them, we will be able to showcase our appeal in the global market,” he said at Samcheonggak cultural center in Seongbuk District, northern Seoul.

[KOREAN FOOD PROMOTION AGENCY]

In the second session, Professor Yang Jong-jip of the Culinary Institute of America emphasized the importance of fostering talent in Korea’s culinary sphere. “The globalization of Korean food depends on the performance of individual restaurants, but sustainable development can only be achieved by starting with the educational process,” he said.

A panel discussion on Korean food’s sustainability followed, featuring Chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre of L'Air du Temps, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Belgium, and Chef Park Jung-hyun of Atomix, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City that ranked No. 6 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list.

A panel discussion on Korean food’s sustainability with Chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre of L'Air du Temps, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Belgium, and Chef Park Jung-hyun of Atomix, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City that ranked No. 6 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list [KOREAN FOOD PROMOTION AGENCY]

“This conference was an important opportunity to shed light on Korea's jang culture and explore ways to spread the value of Korean food to the global stage,” said Jeon, KFPI’s acting chair. “We will continue to strive for sustainable growth and globalization so that the unique flavors and philosophy of Korean food can shine more brightly in the global gastronomy industry.”

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]