Gluten-free Korean snack, pea soy sauce lure European gourmets

COLOGNE, Germany – The traditional Korean snack yakgwa and a soy-like sauce made with peas were named innovative foods of the year at the world’s largest food fair Anuga, where domestic food companies found the marketability of their Korean food products proven with modified recipes.

At the Anuga trade show held in Cologne, Germany between Oct. 7 and Oct. 10, SPC Samlip Corp.'s “Cares Yakgwa” and Sempio Foods Co.'s “Pea Soy Sauce” made the final selection for the Taste Innovation Show, which serves as a platform to showcase the latest and most innovative products.

They grabbed the eyes of health-conscious gourmets thanks to their gluten-free and plant-based ingredients.

SPC Samlip presented yakgwa during the trade show for the first time. With "yakgwa" translating as "medicinal confection," the traditional snack is made of rice powder, soybean curd, honey, sesame oil and rice wine.

The snack stood out from other desserts mainly using wheat, butter, milk and eggs.

At the food fair, 68 products were listed as innovative foods that excelled in terms of creativity, innovation and sustainability, out of 7,890 candidates submitted by food companies around the world.

PEA SOY SAUCE

Pea soy sauce is a new product developed by Sempio Foods at the end of last year. Soybeans, the main ingredient in traditional soy sauce, were replaced with peas.

Peas are more expensive than soybeans. Sempio Foods said its pea soy sauce removes soy allergens and improves flavor.

After the two Korean food products were awarded at the Taste Innovation Show, their companies were flooded with interest from overseas buyers at the event.

“We confirmed the marketability of products that reinterpret traditional Korean desserts such as yakgwa, hoppang and hotteok,” said an SPC Samlip official.

Hoppang is a convenient version of steamed bread. It is typically filled with minced meat and vegetables, or sweetened red beans.

Hotteok is a Korean sweet pancake filled with honey, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Anuga is an international food fair with a 104-year history. Since it started in 1919, it has become one of the three major global food fairs along with those held in Paris and Tokyo.

Its exhibition area covers ​​284,000 square meters, eight times larger than the 36,007 square meters of COEX, the largest convention and exhibition center in Seoul.

This year, some 8,000 companies from 118 countries set up booths at the event, including 88 South Korean companies.

Jeff Zimmer, who runs a food distribution company in the Netherlands, said: “If you had to choose a country in the world that is most popular, it would definitely be Korea.”

“Many people are now aware that Korean food has good taste and quality, and is new, healthy and safe,” he added.

SEAFOOD

Three Dongwon Group subsidiaries – Dongwon Industries Co., Dongwon F&B Co. and Dongwon Home Food Co. – set up booths at the show.

They presented a total of 90 types of products, including marine products such as canned tuna and salmon, as well as seaweed, porridge and vegetable substitutes.

“Foreign food ingredient suppliers visited our booth and discussed possible supply contracts for Korean sauces such as red pepper paste and japchae sauce,” said a Dongwon Home Food official.

“This means that K-food is attracting attention in the B2B (business-to-business) market.”

Japchae is a Korean stir-fried sweet potato starch noodle made with vegetables and marinated beef.

Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., a leading South Korean beverage company, hopes to use Anuga as an opportunity to raise awareness of its brand.

It showcased its flagship spirits Chum-Churum, Saero and Sunhari during the trade fair, as well as soft drinks such as Milkis.

Ottogi introduced instant noodles and hot dogs, and Namyang Dairy Products Co. showcased instant coffee products.

OKF Corp., a non-alcoholic beverage comapny, presented a variety of fruit and vegetable drinks.

Write to Su-Jung Ha at Agatha77@hankyung.com
 

Yeonhee Kim edited this article.