Can you imagine a single moment without food? The very thought makes u tedious and the instantaneous answer which clicks you is ‘no’! Food is the most essential ingredient of life, and no living being can survive without it, in this world, food plays a vital role in the development of human beings!

Food festivals have always been a means to unite communities.Through the exchange, variety of dishes and its culture around the world. Food plays a major role in strenghtening bilateral relation between any countries, especially between India and Korea because of influx of large Korean population in India in various spheres.  Food is basically, a substance which is to be processed, partially processed or unprocessed for consumption. Every country has their own and different style of cooking, and in each spices play a major role. Spices in real terms mean the dried seeds, fruits, root, barks or vegetative substances used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food addictive for the purpose of flavoring.

In 1973, with the establishment of formal diplomatic ties, a new chapter was opened in the history of Indo- Korea cooperation. Thereafter, a host of high-level exchanges between the two nations and signing of several crucial agreements led to further strengthening of bilateral ties. The opening up of the Indian economy under the ‘New Economic Policy’ in 1991 heralded a spurt in trade and investment related activities with the volume of two way trade increasing to US$2.18 billion in 2002-03 From the last 2-3 years, India has been exporting profoundly to Korea.

The main items of export are cotton yarn, Iron ore, Oil meals, drugs, pharmaceuticals, machinery; marine products etc, apart from these goods, spices are the major items of export.

India, an Asian sub-continent is the largest producer (1,600,000 tones i.e. 86% in 2003-04) and thus known as “The Land of Spices”. India has played a major role in spread of different kind of spices to rest of the world like black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, garlic, etc. The control of trade and spice producing regions were the main reasons that the Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama sailed to India in 1499, he described to inventors many new, and then unknown, spice available there and thus it marked the spread, to the world.

Much of the Korean cuisine consists of simple dishes; Korean cuisine is based on the traditional foods and preparation techniques of Korea. From the complex Korean royal court cuisine to regional specialties and modern fusion cuisine, their ingredients and preparation are richly varied. Many dishes are becoming internationally popular. Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, noodles, tofu, vegetables, and meats. Traditional Korean meals are noted for the number of side dishes (banchan) that accompany the ubiquitous steam-cooked short-grain rice and soup. Every meal is accompanied by numerous banchan.

Kimchi is a fermented, spicy vegetable dish usually made of baechu, radish, or cucumber. At least one type of kimchi is served as banchan at virtually every meal, year-round. It is also a common ingredient in other Korean recipes.

Korean food is usually seasoned with sesame oil, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger and gochujang (red chili paste). Korea is the largest consumer of garlic, ahead of the rest of Asia (particularly China and Thailand, excluding Japan) and the Northern Mediterranean (mainly Spain, Italy, and Greece).

Korean cuisine varies seasonally. During winter, traditional food usually relies on kimchi and other pickled vegetables preserved in big ceramic containers stored underground in outdoor courtyards. Preparation of Korean food is generally very labor-intensive.

 You can very much see that the main spices used in these dishes are mainly black pepper, garlic, ginger, red chilies, and India plays a paramount role in export of not only these spices but also sesame and cinnamon, the other major spices used in Korean cuisine. 

Since large numbers of Korean people arrive every year to India, the foremost problem which Korean people face is the food. Food is the most indispensable ingredient of life, and life becomes difficult if you don’t get food of your own choice. So, in order make life easy for the Korean people, we have come up with an idea to host a food festival. The food festival will also help, in strengthening the bilateral relation between the two countries. Our main motto is to promote the Korean cuisine and make it popular among Indians, just like other county’s cuisines.

Press Release:

koreaindia.in, a unit of Shila Travels (India) Pvt. Ltd, proudly organizes, a HAPPY MOVE GLOBAL YOUNG CHEF (2008~’09). The festival is being hosted by Institute of Hotel Management, PUSA, New Delhi on 16th, 17th, 22nd & 24th July, 2008. The festival is sponsored by Hyundai Motors.

Hyundai Motor Company is ranked as the world’s fifth largest automaker in 2008 and includes more than two dozen auto-related subsidiaries and affiliates. Employing more than 75,000 people worldwide, Hyundai Motor posted sales of US $74.9 billion in 2007 on a consolidated-basis and US$32.8 billion on a non-consolidated basis (using the average currency exchange of 929 won per US dollar). Hyundai vehicles are sold in 193 countries through some 6,000 dealerships and showrooms.

As a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility Activities Hyundai Motor selects 500 students from various universities in Korea, under ‘Happy Move Global Youth Volunteers’ programme, which is the part of auto group’s plan to expand its contribution to the global community and nurture the future leaders. These students are then taken to other parts of the world, to promote their culture through various means and thus, contribute to the global community. For instance, in India they have come to promote Korean culture and heritage and the route chosen is that of a Korean food festival.

This time, the selected students are divided into groups, who will be sent to five countries i.e. India, China, Turkey, Hungary and Thailand from 15^th July to 30^th August. This programme is one of the first activities of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, which was formed in May, 2008.    

During the food festival, the food will be prepared by the visiting Korean students along with some renowned chef’s from South

Korea and served to the local Indian students and the invited guests, in order to promote food and cultural exchange between both the countries.

The Korean students will also visit an orphanage, Missionaries of Charity during their tour; they will prepare food for the children, treat them, and spend some quality time with the children, at the orphanage. Some of the students will also carry out volunteer work and assist the one in need, in order to strengthen the cultural ties between the two nations.  

The main objective is to promote the Korean cuisine and make it popular among Indians, just like other county’s cuisines, since large numbers of Korean tourists and executives come to India every year, the foremost problem which Korean people face is the food. Food is the most indispensable ingredient of life, and life becomes difficult if you don’t get food of your own choice. So, in order to make life easy for the Korean community here, we have come up with an idea to host a food festival. The food festival will also help, in strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries.