Widespread images of a fast-moving, swiftly developing Korea may cause many to associate the country with "speed." But for those in the know, one of the most attractive merits of life in Korea is the opportunity to appreciate life’s pleasures at an unhurried pace. 


C0A8CA3C0000013880CC242300010E1D_P1.jpegIn the city of Namyangju in Gyeonggi-do, life seems to move at a slower pace (photo: Yonhap News).

Carlo Petrini, founder of the international Slow Food movement, has inspired a worldwide effort to promote the value of traditional and regional cuisine created with attention to quality, natural production, and fair distribution. Petrini’s admiration for the way these values are being upheld in Korea’s food culture recently made headlines in Italian national daily La Repubblica. 

In an article entitled “Fermenti Coreani” (Korean fermentation), published on October 31, Petrini asserted that Korean food culture is one of the most abundant in the world, composed of an endless variety of dishes as well as an impressively well-established tradition of fermenting foods. 

Korea_slowcity_Carlo_Petri.jpgCarlo Petrini (right), congratulates mayor of Namyangju Lee Seok-woo (center) on Namyangju being selected to host the first ever Asia-Oceania regional Slow Food Festival, which will take place in 2013 (photo: Yonhap News).

Petrini also mentioned a principle prevalent in Korean culture, that food and medicine have the same roots, as one that seems to motivate Koreans’ quest to get closer to nature through their food preparation and consumption practices.

Two dishes Petrini praised were imjasutang, a cold soup made of toasted sesame seeds, chicken stock, and soft-boiled chicken, and bulgogi ssam, which consists of thinly sliced grilled beef wrapped with various seasoned or fermented vegetables. “To give a thorough explanation of the remarkable techniques, recipes, and preparation that goes into all of these foods,” said Petrini, “it is almost impossible.”

imjasutang_bulgogi.jpgCarlo Petrini praised traditional Korean cuisine in a recent article in Italian daily newspaper la Repubblica. Pictured are two of his recommended dishes, imjasutang (left) and bulgogi (right) (photos: Yonhap News).

As an ideal place to learn more about authentic Korean cuisine, Petrini suggested Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province). Namyangju, as he went on to explain, is a city that has maintained a steady balance between development and preservation of the environment. 

Incidentally, Namyangju was recently selected to be the host city for the first ever Asia-Oceania regional Slow Food Festival, which will take place in 2013. The selection was announced at the International Slow Food Festival, better known as Salone Internazionale del Gusto, that took place in Turin, Italy, last month.

Korea_slowcity_Namyangju.jpgCarlo Petrini suggested Namyangju in Gyeonggi-do as an ideal place to learn about traditional Korean cuisine. Pictured is Sujongsa Temple, located in Namyangju and built in the 15th century on a royal directive (photo: Yonhap News).


Namyangju has also received recognition for its efforts over the past four decades to carry out organic, holistic farming, and hosted the World Congress of the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements in 2011.

By Kwon Jungyun
Korea.net Staff Writer


[Source : Korea.net]