Canadian food tempts Korean taste buds

By Rachel Lee

Competition in the Korean beef market is heating up with Canadian beef continuing its comeback that started last December.

“I am very pleased that Koreans again have the opportunity to enjoy quality Canadian beef,” Canadian Ambassador to Korea Eric Walsh told The Korea Times.

Walsh, a graduate of McGill University, was appointed here in February. His previous positions include deputy head of mission at the Canadian Embassy in Germany, director of North Asia Relations DFAIT and counselor and deputy permanent representative at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the Conference on Disarmament in Switzerland.

To mark the resumption of Canadian beef exports to Korea, the ambassador hosted a Canadian beef — which ended on Saturday — at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul.

Asked what differentiated Canadian beef from that of other parts of the world, Walsh said: “Canadian beef is raised under ideal conditions and graded to high quality standards. Canada’s northern climate, with long summer days and crisp, cold winters, enables Canadians to breed and raise cattle with superior genetics.”

He said Canada had about 68,000 ranchers, for whom raising cattle was not just a business but who strove to be “good stewards of the land and animals in their care.”

“Because Canada is one of the largest grain producers in the world, our industry can supply beef produced from cattle that are fed diets containing wheat, barley and corn,” he said. “Feeding these grains contributes to well-marbled, flavorful and tender beef with firm, white-colored fat.”

Canada’s fish and seafood sector also has a top reputation because of its quality, and sustainable management. The country supports more than 160 species of fish and seafood.

Canada also exports fresh, frozen, smoked and canned products to more than 130 countries.

Thanks to the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement, Canada’s first FTA in Asia, Canada’s exports of fish and seafood to Korea have increased by 74 percent, according to the Canadian Embassy. The trade deal entered into force in January last year.

The ambassador said Canadian cuisine, influenced by French and British heritage, was difficult to define because it was more about the combination of different ingredients than a particular dish.

“Canada is a vast and diverse country bound by three oceans,” he said. “ As such, many of the dishes served in British Columbia and in our eastern provinces use a lot of fish and seafood.

“At the same time, because our population is small compared to our size, Canada is blessed with large expanses of quality land that can be used to grow many grains and pulses, harvest fruits and vegetables and to breed large herds of cattle, so Canada has become one of the largest exporters of agriculture and food products.”

He said that with the influx of immigrants from all over the world, Canadian cuisine had evolved to become very diverse.

“In large cities, it is possible to taste food from every corner of the globe, prepared authentically by people who came to Canada from those places — you can eat your way around the world without leaving home,” He said.

He also said the Canadian wine industry had become a “niche maker of internationally respected ice wines.

“Although Canada is not a major wine producer by global standards, the industry has evolved into ‘late harvest’ wines due to cool-climate influences. Canadian ice wines regularly win gold medals at international competitions and our table wines have also been winning more international medals.”

This year, the ambassador plans to launch a series of food events in Korea.

“The embassy will have a Country Pavilion at the Seoul International Wines and Spirits Expo at COEX in April,” he said. “Several Canadian wineries, distilleries and breweries will be represented. The embassy will also have a Country Pavilion at the Seoul Food and Hotel Show at Kintex in May.”

Walsh, who has been in Seoul for less than a year, has had some good impression of the city.

“Seoul is fascinating, by far the biggest city we’ve ever lived in,” he said. “One thing we haven’t managed to do yet is travel around the country — we hope to be able to do some of that this summer, if time allows.”