Delicacy of spring offered at leaders’ luncheon, dinner table

Global leaders attending the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit will be served luncheons and dinners prepared with the delicacies of the spring season by the country’s top chefs.

“Spring of Korea” will feature four-course Western meals both for the dinner on March 26 and the luncheon on March 27 at the COEX Convention Center, where the summit meetings take place. A farewell dinner hosted by President Lee Myung-bak and First Lady Kim Yoon-ok will be held at The Hotel Shilla in Jangchung-dong, central Seoul, on March 27.

“We developed and carefully chose menu variations in consultation with culinary experts to best serve all state leaders and their spouses,” a committee official said. “It will offer us a chance to present our culinary diplomacy by serving our unique cuisine.”

For the welcome dinner on Monday, leaders will have a four-course meal including choices of organic avocado-tomato salad, asparagus soup and Korean beef tenderloin, the organizing committee said.

“We prepared a Western course with light food ingredients for the welcome dinner as most of the leaders will have taken long flights,” an official at the committee said.

Red and sparkling wine from 10 countries including Chile, France, Italia, Spain and Germany will be offered. Wines from the United States, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina will also be offered on the tables of the distinguished guests, as a way to show Korea’s efforts in promoting free trade agreements.

Korean traditional liquor made from indigenous berries will also be introduced, officials said.

Locally made sparkling wine pressed from omija ― a red Korean berry also known as the “five-flavor berry” ― will be served along with rice wine at the welcome and farewell dinners on Monday and Tuesday.

The farewell dinner at The Hotel Shilla on Tuesday evening will be the culinary highlight of the summit period.

“Considering the importance of the event, we will use the best ingredients directly delivered from all over the country,” said Seo Sang-ho, head chef of The Hotel Shilla. The chef who also works as a culinary consultant for the organizing committee said his team traveled around the country to bring the best ingredients to the tables of the world’s leading figures. The list of ingredients includes such regional delicacies as king prawn from the West Sea, fresh citron from Goheung, South Jeolla Province, crab from Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, and rip persimmon from Chungdo, South Gyeongsang Province.

Seo’s team will present steamed tofu filled with crab, Korean-style barbecue, omija tea and bibimbap ― a steamed rice dish mixed with assorted vegetables and meat.

For the spouses of the leaders, the organizing committee has prepared a separate dinner and luncheon at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, central Seoul, and the presidential Blue House, respectively. Spouses of world leaders will be served with Agnolotti with crab bisque and tile fish delivered from Jeju Island at the welcome dinner. For the Blue House luncheon, spouses will sample Korean traditional cuisines including kimchijeon or pancake, japchae or noodles stir fried in sesame oil with a variety of vegetables and royal cuisine.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)