[gallery td_gallery_title_input="Health to the fore in Korean fare" size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="18378,18379,18375,18380,18377,18376"] Samar Yahya KOREAN Consulate General held a Korean food event named "Health Food, Korean Dishes" at South Korea Consul General Nak-Young OH's residence in Jeddah. Wife of consul general received the guests and reviewed with them the Korean food products, which were on display. The event was to promote Korean food in a series of cultural activities aimed at promoting mutual understandings, interchange of personnel and cooperation between Korea and Saudi Arabia. The lady's event presented not only Korean food but also health and beauty through balanced dietary choices, noting the increasing trend of obesity and diabetes in GCC countries. It mainly focused on kimchi and ginseng products, which as representative of Korean cuisine. It gave guests a chance to learn how to make kimchi and bimbap. The demonstration of making kimchi and bimbap was done by Chul Woong Kim, spouse of vice consul. She also provided the guests an opportunity, under her supervison, to make bimbap and kimchi by themselves. Consul General Nak-Young OH delivered a short speech to welcome the guests. He said: "It is a great pleasure and honor for me to host another event to promote Korean food. This gathering is part of a series of cultural activities aimed at promoting mutual understandings, interchange of personnel and cooperation between Korea and Saudi Arabia. I welcome all of you ladies to this event. "In last February, the Korean Consulate General screened a Korean film titled ‘Mr. Go', a story about world's first baseball-playing gorilla as a part of the annual Asian Film Festivals and towards middle of the holy month of Ramadan, the Consulate General hosted an Iftar, at that time, I promised you that I would provide you with another chance to taste Korean dishes. "Traditional Korean wisdom says that ‘food and medicine are grown from the same root, share the same origin and, therefore, there is no better medicine than food.' These long-standing beliefs tell us how important food is to human's well being, physically as well as mentally," said OH Korean cuisine has long been considered as healthy food, largely based on rice, vegetable, fish and meat. Ingredients commonly used are sesame oil, fermented bean and red pepper pastes, soy source, garlic, ginger and seasonal vegetables. Traditional Korean meals are noted for the number of side dishes that accompany steamed rice. Among others, Kimchi, fermented spicy vegetable, is served at almost every meal. The event was divided into two parts, a unique chance to taste Korean traditional teas, learn how to make some of Korean dishes, and enjoy the luncheon.Then, the next phase, was a part of "learning by doing program", which was arranged by the KISJ (Korean International School in Jeddah) for its students enrolled in Korean language course with Korean Consulate General. In response to the increasing interests in Korean dishes, a couple of Korean restaurants and a minimart are serving Jeddawis. Koreans have long believed that the taste and quality of food depend largely on the spices and condiments used. Soybean paste, soy sauce, Korean chili are some of the healthiest and finest food materials in Korean cuisine. A recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in many parts of the world has increased the interest in immunity-enriching foods that can help fight off MERS and other disease. In Korea, garlic, bell pepper, mushroom, ginseng, and kimchi are regarded as representative foods that help improve the immunity. Garlic contains a beneficial substance called allicin that has an antibacterial effect. In addition, the vitamin B contained in garlic has been proven to activate physical energy and improve the immune system. Bell Pepper contains rich vitamin C, which improves the immune system. It also abounds with beta-carotene, which increases resistance against respiratory diseases and is good for preventing MERS. Recently, mushrooms are coming into the spotlight for the beta-glucan component, which also boosts the immune system. Ginseng, whose saponin has been proven to reinforce immunity and prevent the reproduction of viruses, is attracting a huge interest among consumers, both Koreans and foreigners. Healthy functional foods made by processing raw ginseng, such as red ginseng, are also popular in the domestic market. Kimchi generates lactic-acid bacteria that are effective in preventing and curing virus-induced diseases including coronavirus-related syndromes such as MERS and novel influenza such as type-A influenza. These efficacies have been supported by research results that have once again proven the excellence of the country's favorite food. Kimchi is a representative Korean dish that never fails to be on the tables of Koreans. It is sour and spicy, yet crispy and refreshing. Recently, it has been introduced to foreign consumers who have an increasing interest in Korean cuisine. A few years ago, it drew a lot of attention when Michelle Obama, the First lady of the United States, posted on Twitter feed a picture and the recipe of some kimchi she has made herself. Boosted by the great interest and attention, kimchi is now exported to around 80 countries in the world. Kimchi is rich in vitamins and dietary fibers helpful for good health. In addition, kimchi contains more than one billion lactic acid bacteria per g of kimchi. It is therefore believed to strengthen immunity, diminish cancer, activate the work of the intestines, and prevent aging. In 2006, kimchi was selected as one of the world's top five healthy foods by Health, a world-renowned health magazine. This event was sponsored by Abdullah Y. J. Kim, general manager of Al-Rasheed Trading Est., which is a main supplier of Korean foodstuff to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
