Vice President of the Association of Professional Chefs Nigeria (APCN), North Central, Godfrey Mario Odoh has stated that the maiden Korean Food Contest, organized by the Korean Culture Center Nigeria (KCCN), is set to put Nigerian cuisine on the global map.
“This contest will create additional employment; when farmers know that (Korean food products and produce) are patronized in the global market, they will be producing more. That means more opportunities for our youths,” Odoh said.
The contest, which aims to craft fusion cuisine using Nigerian and Korean ingredients, has already shown promising results.
Contestants have created innovative dishes by combining ‘Jang’ (fermented Korean sauce) with local ingredients.
“The basic concept of the competition is the Jang, and all students could put that to use. The ‘Jang’ is more or less a salt substitute. Hence the sour taste,” Odoh explained.
The director of KCCN, Kim Chang-Ki, expressed his delight at the outcome, saying, “I am very happy that Nigerians cooked Korean foods so well.
Our Korean judge said the dishes were wonderful. I am glad many Nigerians liked Korean foods.”
The grand finale, set for August 31, promises to be an exciting event, with participants enjoying restaurant-quality Korean cuisine alongside traditional Korean alcohol Makgeoli.
