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Korea Grand Masters sustain roots of Korea's culinary history
Ki Soon-do, center, a Korea Grand Master specializing in Korean traditional sauces, rubs straws together to make a rope to secure dried bricks of fermented soybeans and hang them in midair for aging, in Damyang, South Jeolla Province, in this undated photo. Courtesy of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
By Ko Dong-hwan
Gov’t protects, promotes traditions to boost exports
Korea Grand Masters, a group of experts with government-certified craftsmanship for the country’s traditional foods or liquors, have shifted their focus from protecting the heritage to more actively sharing it worldwide, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The experts’ change in treating their transcended techniques and palatable outcomes are in line with the country’s increasing efforts to boost exports of Korean foods, beverages and liquors.
The masters’ supports for the government’s export initiative comes as the country’s major private food and alcohol companies such as Samyang Foods, CJ CheilJedang and HiteJinro are rigorously expanding their presence in overseas markets with instant noodles, alcohols, snacks and desserts. As of last month, the country’s exports of manufactured food products and natural produce for this year altogether registered $6.48 billion, up 8.7 percent from the same period last year. The figure surpassed the previous year's record for the 12th consecutive month.
Korea Grand Masters, identified by an eponymous logo issued by the ministry and marked on their products, have been protected and supported by the country’s Food Industry Promotion Act since 1994 to preserve their lineages and products. Currently, 80 masters are active nationwide in a range of fields, including sauces, desserts, meats, herbal foods, teas and alcohols.
The Korea Food Grand Master Center is an experience-oriented hotspot in downtown Seoul which invites those interested in trying to make the country’s edible heritages or simply tasting them. Over 290 products by 61 grand masters are on display, including rice cakes, confections and teas.
The center has been running experience programs since 2016 for foreign and local tourists. Nearly 160,000 people have visited the venue as of this month, with 30,000 having engaged in hands-on activities to emulate the masters' expertise.
“The center has become increasingly popular,” a ministry official said. “The place is usually booked a month in advance these days.”
Ko Hwa-sun, left, a Korea Grand Master specializing in herbal foods, picks bracken with her mother who taught her how to cook Korean traditional herbal foods, on a mountain in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, in this undated photo. Courtesy of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
A Korea Grand Master in the soy sauce category, who is currently offering an educational platform, encourages restaurateurs, chefs and other gastronomic experts to come and learn about the country’s oldest sauces.
Ki Soon-do’s Fermentation School in Damyang, South Jeolla Province, offers an eight-week program dedicated to traditional sauces — called “jang” in Korean.
At the school, which opened last year, students learn not only how to make jang but also how to use it in various recipes. Joseph Lidgerwood, an Australian chef who runs fine dining restaurant Evett in Seoul, shares at the school how he uses Ki’s jang for his dishes and invites participants to taste them.
Ki, designated as Korea Grand Master No. 35, gained global recognition in 2017 when then-U.S. President Donald Trump visited Seoul and tasted a dish featuring Ki’s soy sauce during a banquet at Cheong Wa Dae. The soy sauce, fermented for 360 years at the time, was used in a dish of braised ribs and receives rave reviews. Foreign news outlets even said the soy sauce had been fermented longer than U.S. history.
Ko Hwa-sun, a herbal food master and Korea Grand Master No. 90, registered the country’s first export of herbal foods in 2017 through her company On Sky Farm. Since then, she has been exporting nine edible green products and vegan bibimbap to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. The company’s exports have reached $700 million as of this month.
Ko, whose herbal food-making techniques were passed down from her grandmother on her mother’s side to her own daughter, sources ingredients from some 800 local herb farms. She supplies 182 products across 32 categories to 5,000 elementary, middle and high schools nationwide. The company, established in 2000 with 50 employees, reported sales of 13.1 billion won ($9.76 million) last year, proving its economic soundness despite its small size.
Appointing masters
Since 1994, the ministry has been designating the grand masters every year. Those who have been engaged in their food or alcohol fields for 20 years or more, or who can make traditional foods or alcohol with complete accuracy, or who have been trained for five years or more and working in the field for 10 years or more are eligible for the title.
To be acknowledged as a Korea Grand Master, they must file for an application to a local government. The government, after reviewing their qualifications and authencity, recommends the candidates to the ministry. A jury promoting the country's food industries evaluates the recommended candidates and make the final decision.
Once designated, the grand masters receive diverse supports from the government to sustain their generation-to-generation apprenticeship, promote their businesses and expand their productive capabilities.
Those who copy the foods or beverages from the grand masters to abuse their exclusive rights are subject to up to three years in prison or fines up to 30 million won.
This article was planned in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.