Featured foods included mie goreng (stir-fried noodles) and air kausar (basil seed drink) from Brunei Darussalam; beef lok lak (stir-fried beef) and num plae ai (palm sugar pearls) from Cambodia; beef rendang (beef cooked in coconut gravy) and gado gado (spicy salad with peanut dressing) from Indonesia; laap moo (stir-fried minced pork with vegetables) and tam mak taeng (spicy cucumber salad) from Laos; and chicken satay (chicken skewers) and bubur pulut hitam (black glutinous rice porridge) from Malaysia.

Other dishes were fish rice cake and shan noodles from Myanmar; pork abodo (pork simmered in abodo sauce) and champorado (cacao pudding with heirloom rice) from the Philippines; chicken rice and barley water from Singapore; pad thai (stir-friend noodles) and chicken massaman (chicken in red curry) from Thailand; and pho bo (rice noodle soup) and goi cuon and cha gio (fresh and deep-fried spring rolls) from Vietnam.

The fair was held in conjunction with the Coex Food Week Korea, the largest international gastronomy exhibition in the country. It included live cooking shows and food tasting opportunities for some 200 participants, including 10 ambassadors from ASEAN. 

“There is an old saying, ‘The best way to win hearts and minds is through the stomach,’” Thai Ambassador to Korea Sarun Charoensuwan said in a speech at the opening ceremony.

Southeast Asian cuisine is gaining recognition and popularity around the world, he added, noting that 11 of the region’s national dishes entered the list of top 50 foods in the world in a recent poll conducted by CNN.

In Korea, Southeast Asian cuisine is becoming increasingly popular, with dozens of restaurants offering regional dishes in the Itaewon area of Seoul, the envoy said.

“Nowadays, we can easily find a large variety of food products from ASEAN on the shelves of major grocery stores here in Seoul,” the ambassador noted. “This trend is reflective of the close and deep ties between ASEAN and Korea, as people-to-people contact and mutual interest in each other’s cultures grow significantly.”

Highlighting that the “hallyu” Korean cultural wave has not lost its vigor in Southeast Asia, the diplomat pointed out that two-way tourist travel had reached over 5 million trips a year. 

“ASEAN cuisines, with their appetite-whetting dishes and exotic aromas, celebrate cultural diversity and unique ways of life,” said Kim Young-sun, ASEAN-Korea Center secretary-general. “The region’s spirit and passion permeate each and every dish, and food is an important link that binds the ASEAN community together.”

Over 100 companies from ASEAN, roughly 10 from each member state, showcased their food and beverage products through the ASEAN Trade Pavilions, and business meetings and a trade facilitation seminar were held during the same week.

The event was organized to enhance bilateral business networks in the lead up to next year, which marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN. A series of events and programs are scheduled to promote cultural exchange and tourism.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)