By Kim Hyun-cheol
Staff Reporter
The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries released finalized English translations of popular ``hansik'' dishes, Thursday, in a bid to streamline and better promote Korea's traditional fare.
Established for the convenience of owners and foreign customers of Korean restaurants at home and abroad, the list includes names and descriptions of a total of 124 dishes, as well as simple recipes in two other foreign languages.
The project, conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Korea Tourism Organization and the Korea Foundation, involved consultation with experts over Romanization issues at the National Institute of the Korean Language and other food and language specialists.
With no standardized set of descriptions, local Korean restaurants currently use different English translations for the dishes they serve.
``This often leads to confusion and misunderstanding among foreign customers on Korean foods due to their inaccuracy,'' said Choi Jung-sook, an official at the ministry's hansik globalization department.
For example, ``dolsot-bibimbap,'' rice mixed with meat, vegetables and chili sauce and served in sizzling hot earthenware, is at present variously described as "bibimbap in a hot stone pot" or "hot pot bibimbap.".
With the new system, however, foreign guests will see a unified explanation of ``sizzling stone pot bibimbap'' for the popular rice dish.
The translations will be published in booklets and supplied to local and overseas Korean restaurants. It will also be offered as an e-book file on the government's official food information Web site (www.foodinkorea.co.kr), the minister said.
``There will be expanded editions to come, with more various kinds of dishes and in more foreign languages, including French and Spanish,'' Choi said.
Korea has recently been speeding up efforts to better promote its cuisine to the outside world.
The country also plans to streamline food promotion in general. In an interview with The Korea Times last month, Minister for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Chang Tae-pyong said a new private-led foundation will be set up later this year to take charge of the government's hansik globalization campaign.
A group of government officials, academic experts and entrepreneurs will oversee the campaign and measures to attract investment from the private sector in food-related businesses overseas, he said.