From kimchi to 700kg of beef: Korea sets up kitchens in Italy to feed its Olympic athletes

Athletes dine at the dining hall inside the athletes’ village in Milan, Italy. Yonhap

At first glance, the dining hall in the athletes’ village in Milan gleams with an array of options. For the Korean Olympic delegation, however, the excitement of encountering European cuisine quickly fades, replaced by quiet dissatisfaction.

Delegation members point to a nutritional imbalance. Their main concern revolves around protein, a critical nutrient for athletes.

“There are fish and meat, but often too rubbery and salty,” one official said. “Pizza and pasta come in many variations and taste good, but they are too high in carbohydrates. For athletes who must carefully manage body weight, such foods are rarely viable options.”

Menu fatigue is also setting in.

“The food tastes fine, but eating the same dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner dulls the appetite,” short track skater Shin Dong-min said on YouTube. Team captain Lee Jun-seo agreed, saying, “There isn’t much to eat.”

Packed meal boxes are stacked at the Milan Meal Support Center for delivery to Korean athletes in Milan on Feb. 9. Korea Times photo by Kim Jin-ju

‘Meal Support Centers’ keep athletes fed

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) has set up dedicated kitchens in host cities near the athletes’ villages. Located in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and Livigno, the three meal support centers keep stew pots simmering and grills running to ease athletes’ longings for familiar food from home.

When a reporter visited Monday morning, the Milan center was already bustling with staff preparing lunch boxes. The meals had to be packaged and dispatched to the athletes’ villages before 11 a.m., and cooks moved briskly between steaming cauldrons.

The day’s menu included soybean paste stew, braised beef shank, stir-fried pork with kimchi, stir-fried fish cakes, fritters and stir-fried anchovies. Fruit and juice completed the set.

Nutritionist Jo Eun-young said two meat dishes were included intentionally. “We knew that athletes would need additional protein supplementation,” she said. “We also considered athletes’ preferences for meat dishes such as spicy stir-fried pork or braised beef short ribs.” A total of about 700 kilograms of meat is expected to be used at this center alone during the Olympics.

Cooks pack freshly prepared dishes into insulated meal containers at the Milan Meal Support Center in Milan on Feb. 9. Korea Times photo by Kim Jin-ju

Once the meals are prepared, they are placed in insulated lunch boxes. Meticulous consideration is given throughout the process. Figure skaters receive smaller portions, while bobsleigh and skeleton athletes, whose runs demand explosive output, receive more generous servings.

The lunch boxes are then delivered to the athletes’ village. In Milan alone, where most athletes are gathered, up to 50 boxed meals are delivered every morning. Across all three sites, roughly 200 meals are dispatched daily in two delivery sessions.

Sport-specific insulated meal boxes are prepared at the Milan Meal Support Center in Milan on Feb. 9. Korea Times photo by Kim Jin-ju

A war-level effort to prepare ingredients

For staff at the meal support centers, logistics resembled a military operation. The team scouted sites nine months before the Olympics, and ingredients difficult to source locally were ordered three months in advance.

“Dishes such as beef cartilage soup, dried shredded squid and stir-fried dried shrimp are especially popular among athletes, but the ingredients are difficult to obtain in Europe. We had to ask around to secure what we needed,” Jo said.

The customs process proved equally challenging. Even kimchi was restricted because it contained fermented seafood, forcing staff to bring in a vegan version that complied with customs regulations. Ingredients such as onions and green onions were replaced with shallots and leeks to adapt to local supply conditions.

Securing ingredients was one challenge, but distributing them is another. Most of the ingredients had to be delivered from Milan to Cortina d’Ampezzo and Livigno, as local markets could not supply them.

Staff work from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. The drive from Milan to Livigno takes about four hours, while the trip to Cortina d’Ampezzo can take up to six.

Athletes say boxed meals help them maintain weight and health

Athletes receiving the boxed meals have responded with appreciation. Short track skater Shim Suk-hee, 29, said proper nutrition ahead of competition allows her to focus solely on race preparation. Choi Min-jeong, 28, likewise expressed gratitude, saying the carefully prepared meals help her maintain her weight and keep in good condition during the Games.

Head chef Kim Jung-hyun said the team strives to recreate the flavors athletes would expect at home. "It is rewarding to know the athletes recognize the effort," he said with a smile. "We hope the strength they gain from these meals will translate into strong results."

KSOC President Yoo Seung-min recently invited nutritionists and cooks from the meal support centers to Korea House, hosting them for a meal and describing them as the "unsung heroes" behind the delegation’s campaign.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.