Korean chefs on Wednesday showcased a variety of Korean dishes made with local ingredients from Gangwon Province, the venue for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, with a subtle twist to capture the taste buds of athletes and visitors to the upcoming event.

Three venues in Gangwon Province -- PyeongChang, Gangneung and Jeongseon -- each developed 10 dishes with local ingredients as part of efforts to globalize the Korean cuisine during the international sports event.

Gangwon Province is located south of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, having several mountains and sea on the east coast. The eastern province is abundant in potatoes and corn as well as freshwater fish and other seafood.

In the run-up to the official launch of the special 30 dishes, Gangwon Province held a sampling lunch at the K-Style Hub in Seoul, involving about 50 officials from the Tourism Ministry, Gangwon Province, and local and foreign journalists.

Edward Kwon, a celebrity chef who has made it his mission to globalize Korean cuisine, showcased a mixed rice salad as a part of the menu for PyeongChang.

Kim Su-jin, the food director of the 2007 Korean film “Le Grande Chef” (Shikgaek), presented boiled pork slices (bossam) with spicy bonnet bellflower (deodeok).

Kim Ho-seok, a former chef and culinary professor of Catholic Kwandong University in Gangneung, cooked chicken soup (samgyetang) with potato dough (ongsimi).

The three regions have provided recipe classes involving 428 local restaurateurs, and some restaurants will begin selling the menus as early as September, according to officials.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it will consult with the Olympics organizing committee to serve the dishes for athletes during the winter games.

“We will provide incentives to restaurants that want to serve the ‘Special 30 Dishes’ to encourage more athletes and visitors of PyeongChang Olympics to enjoy the local cuisine,” Vice Culture Minister Kim Jong said during the event. (Yonhap)