'Jewel' drama aims to spark interest in Korean cuisine

The South Korean Government is hoping a new Korean period drama, which started screening on New Zealand screens last night, will help with its plan on making Korean food among the world's top five cuisines by 2017.

The 54-episode series, Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace), takes place during the Chosun dynasty 500 years ago, and gives an insight into Korean culture and its cuisine.

"The cuisine shown in the series will bring back a lot of memories of the food our mothers use to cook, but I think it will also be introducing Hansik, or Korean food to Kiwis of other cultures," says consul Key Sun Shin, from South Korea's Auckland consulate office.

Last year, the Korean Government decided to increase the number of Korean restaurants overseas from 10,000 to 40,000 by 2017, to get Korean dishes into the top five cuisines in the world, Seoul's Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.

Mr Shin said Korean restaurant owners running non-Korean restaurants were being asked to include a Korean menu, and Korean restaurants were also being asked to include an English description of their dishes.

Korean Society spokeswoman Audrey Chung said Dae Jang Geum received top ratings in South Korea, and has a following in Singapore and Taiwan.

"Sometimes for Koreans, we find it hard to share our culture with New Zealanders because our English is not so good," Ms Chung said.

"So we are excited and hopeful that this series will help Kiwis understand us better."

Karen Kim, a former Korean restaurant owner, says the success of the series will determine whether she re-starts her business.

"Unlike Japanese or Indian food, Kiwis are often unsure about stepping into a Korean restaurant because they are unfamiliar with the food, so we need whatever help we can get to promote Korean food," Mrs Kim said.

"It is also very difficult for us to describe the dishes to our customers because of our limited English, and some of the Korean ingredients doesn't have an English name."

Jewel in the Palace started screening last night and will screen twice weekly at 9pm, Sundays and Tuesdays, on Stratos and Triangle Television. It tells of the story of Jang Geum, a girl who rose from the lower classes to a coveted position in the royal kitchens, eventually becoming the King's personal doctor.