This is the 22nd installment of a series that will delve into the current movement towards the globalization of Korean cuisine from a variety of perspectives. The series will explore hansik's past and present, its global potential, and efforts that are being made to promote it to the world. - Ed.
By Jean Oh
The globalization of a nation's cuisine happens on many different levels. The most obvious players, of course, are restaurants and food markets. But there is also the silent partner, the one sitting in bookstores, waiting to picked up by an eager cook, whisked off to a kitchen and put to use.
The cookbook - as evidenced by the lasting power of Julia Child and her "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" - is a powerful tool. So when news broke that "The Beauty of Korean Food: With 100 Best-Loved Recipes" won two Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, the first question that popped up was: Could this cookbook do for hansik what "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" did for French food?
It is a bit early in the game to tell, but earning two stamps of approval from an international competition is a good way to start.
Founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau, the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards can be seen as a sort of international beauty pageant of the book world. According to the cookbook awards' official website (http://www.cookbookfair.com/), food and wine books up for the "Best in the World" competition initially qualify on a national level before going on to the international round. Last year, publications from 136 countries participated in the competition.
For 2010, "The Beauty of Korean Food" won a Special Award for its French translation and another award for its English translation. The book and its various translations were carried out by the Institute of Traditional Korean Food as part of the Research and Development Project for the Standardization of Korean Cuisine, a project supported by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The translator of the French version, professor Lee Hong of the Department of French Culture at Inha University, traveled to Paris in February to receive the award.
"I was very honored when I had the chance to meet Mr. Cointreau, who is a very well-known personality of foreign and international cooking and food," said Lee.
Still aglow from his trip, from the rush of conferences and food demonstrations and the hour-long lecture he held on Korean food at the five-day event, the Paris-born translator related the challenges he faced while working on "Beaute de la Cuisine Coreenne," the French version of the cookbook.
"Some ingredients are very famous in Korea but you can't find them in France," Lee began.
Lee related how he looked at dictionaries, books and photos to find the correct terms for the ingredients.
"It was sometimes very hard because I had to spend two or three days on one word."
The whole translation process, according to Lee, took around eight to 10 months.
The English translation was no exception. Ham Ki-yung, co-translator with Richard Harris for the English version, also said that it was somewhat hard to express the ingredients in English.
Of the award, Ham said, "I was not expecting it ... and I am proud of it."
When asked via e-mail why "The Beauty of Korean Food" merited an award, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards president and founder Edouard Cointreau answered: "This book is very important as a cultural bridge between countries, and generations."
"Communication and correct translation is a key complement to research and culinary expertise," he said.
"All winners receive a special edition Swarovski trophy designed for the Gourmand Awards, and a certificate, if they attend the event. Special Awards are very important, usually one per country, maybe," he continued, revealing that there were 27 books in the Special Awards category this year.
Though the book's principal researcher, the Institute of Traditional Korean Food director Yoon Sook-ja, was not present at the ceremony, she expressed her thoughts on the awards.
"I think that it is also an important award on a national level," said Yoon.
When asked what aspect of the book contributes the most to the globalization of hansik, Yoon answered: "I think the part that best aids the globalization of hansik is that it was able to inform people about the way that Korean cuisine should taste."
The English version of "The Beauty of Korean Food: With 100 Best-Loved Recipes" was published by Hollym in 2007. The book is also available in Korean, Japanese, Chinese and French.
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