Vice President of the Association of Professional Chefs Nigeria (APCN), North Central, Godfrey Mario Odoh, said the maiden Korean Food Contest organised by the Korean Culture Center Nigeria (KCCN) will globalise Nigerian cuisines.
Odoh, a jury member at the second round of the food contest, said that in addition to putting Nigerian food on the global map, the contest, which is targeted at crafting fusion cuisine – comprising Nigerian and Korean ingredients – will not only create a synergy between Korean and Nigerian chefs but also lead to increased job opportunities for Nigerian youths.
“This contest will create additional employment; when farmers know that (Korean food products and produce) are patronised in the global market, they will be producing more. That means more opportunities for our youths. Likewise, it will create a synergy between Nigerian and Korean chefs.”
In line with the contest theme, ‘Korea Cuisine Based on Traditional Jang (Fermented Sauce) Culture’, contestants are challenged to create Korean Nigeria fusion cuisines with ‘Jang’ as the main base of each dish.
Each contestant added foods, vegetables and ingredients peculiar to their geographical region of origin to their Korean sauce-based dishes to create a fusion cuisine.
“The basic concept of the competition is the Jang (fermented Korean sauce), and all students could put that to use. The ‘Jang’ is more or less a salt substitute. Hence the sour taste. I think about three cuisines the contestants demonstrated, which automatically shows that maybe in no distant time, two or three Nigerian restaurants will begin to feature Jang-mixed noodles instead of our usual way of making noodles. Also, Nigerian tofu was infused into some of these cuisines. This is a good initiative.”
As excited by the outcome, the director of Korea Culture Center Nigeria (KCCN), Kim Chang-Ki, expressed optimism that the food contest will become an event.
“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,” said the director.
With the grand finale set to be held on August 31, Chang-Ki said participants will enjoy restaurant-quality Korean cuisine alongside traditional Korean alcohol Makgeoli.
