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The BBC on Aug. 19 covered gochujang (spicy red pepper paste) in the article headlined "Gochujang: The trendy Korean staple that burns," saying the paste "is taking over the world." (Screen capture from BBC's website)


The BBC has highlighted Korea's red pepper paste, gochujang.

In its Aug. 19 article headlined "Gochujang: The trendy Korean staple that burns," the British media outlet said, "This dangerously red chilli paste is the backbone of South Korea's spicy-sweet flavours, and it brings heat to famous Korean dishes. Now, it's taking over the world."

Gochujang is a hot item in the U.K. and the U.S. named in flavor trend forecasts, it said, adding, "Gochujang companies have spent the last decade developing their export strategy."

The BBC said the gochujang is sold in Korea in raw form for use as a base ingredient, while that sold on the Western market is used as a condiment in a squeeze bottle and often combined with other sauces like mayonnaise.

"Korean gochujang exports were worth (USD) 36.81 million – up 15% on the previous year – with much of it going to the UK and US," it said.

"Yet the true attraction is not heat, but complexity," the BBC said, adding, "Gochujang hits several different flavours at once - spicy, but also sweet and salty with an underlying umami note."

Calling gochujang's taste "irreplaceable," the article said, "Children are taught how to make gochujang to help preserve its heritage."

The article covered the history of gochujang, including how it quickly became a defining flavor of Korean cuisine, its evolution from its original form as medicinal food and the paste's fermentation process.


Korea.net