Italian dishes coupled with `makgeolli`

This is the fourth 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



"Why does makgeolli need to go outside Korea?"

When asked about the global potential of makgeolli, Giuseppe Barone, owner of the Sicilian restaurant Fattoria delle Torri, stayed true to his "Slow Food" roots, stressing the importance of locality.

"Eat Sicilian in Sicily and Korean in Korea."

Barone, who reputedly helped found the Slow Food organization`s Sicily branch, was in Korea last week to take part in a number of events, one of which was a dinner that coupled his tapas with the traditional Korean alcoholic beverage, makgeolli.

The dinner took place on Nov. 6 at the makgeolli bar Chin Chin near Hongik University. According to Chin Chin Executive Chef Kim Hak-soo, the dinner featured seven of Barone`s creations and five of Chin Chin`s own concoctions. A makgeolli named after Barone was also served at the dinner.



"It was founded on Giuseppe`s philosophy," Chin Chin owner Zhang Ki-chul said of the newly-released drink.

Christened Giuseppe macgallery Nouveau 2009, the bottled beverage, according to Zhang, is made from newly harvested rice and has no aspartame (an artificial sweetener) in it.

"80 percent is made from eco-friendly rice from Jincheon-gun, 20 percent is made from domestic flour," he said.

So how did people respond to the coupling of tapas and the new makgeolli?

"The response was good," said Kim over the phone. According to him, around 120 people showed up for the event.

At the dinner, Barone showcased tapas that coupled soft persimmons with prosciutto, raw octopus with tomato sauce and fried beef dumplings with an orange dressing. He also whipped up an almond risotto, a nod it seems, to his initial impressions of makgeolli.

"If one put almonds in makgeolli, it might taste good," Barone, 49, had said several days earlier.

For Friday`s dinner, he applied Italian techniques to local ingredients.

"If you are in a region, you need to use regional products," he explained.

That does not mean that he restricted the pairing of the Korean alcoholic beverage to domestic ingredients. Barone also considered potential pairings of makgeolli with classic Italian ingredients.

"If I made a pizza that would go well with makgeolli, I would use tomatoes, because they are sweet, soft and sour," he theorized. "And buffalo mozzarella. To give it a bitter taste I would use asparagus. Prosciutto crudo from Parma is famed for its softness. I would probably add that."

"There are two types of makgeolli," he continued. Barone then explained that he put makgeolli with an acidic or tart taste in the dry category.

"If it is dry, I think it will go well with a fish carpaccio."

When asked if he would consider making makgeolli with Italian rice, he answered: "Well, I guess it is worth a try."

Barone then voiced an interest in introducing the alcoholic beverage at the next Terra Madre meeting, which is coordinated by the Slow Food organization, in Italy`s Turin.

When asked about the global potential of Korean cuisine, Barone responded positively to Korean temple cuisine, stating that it exhibited "international characteristics." On the flipside, it seems that Barone was not a huge fan of dishes that incorporated a lot of red chili powder.

"Focus more on the original flavors," said Barone, as he stressed the importance of using spices to enhance the produce`s essential taste.

(oh_jean@heraldm.com)