S. Korea holds cooking event for Iranians

South Korea hosted a cooking event in Tehran over the weekend to give Iranians a rare chance to savor the taste of some of Korea's most popular foods, as the Asian country stepped up its foray into one of the world's least-tapped markets, organizers said Monday. 

Hosted by the state-run Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation on Sunday, the "K-Food Cooking Class" was attended by

100 Iranians. The participants were selected among more than 350 applicants, organizers said.

At the event Iranians learned how to make kimchi, a spicy, fermented cabbage dish, and kimbap, a seaweed-wrapped rice roll filled with a variety of ingredients, both of which have already been widely introduced to the Islamic republic through Korean TV dramas.

Many of the participants looked excited but confused at the same time as they struggled to make what seemed to be unique Asian foods. Some giggled as their kimbap and kimchi turned out to be quite different from what Korean instructors demonstrated.

"Can we really eat this after putting all this pepper into this?" Mariyam, a 34-year-old participant, said as she mixed various vegetables together with pepper powder to make kimchi, which seemed to be too spicy a dish for her.

She added that she got interested in Korean food due to the popular Korean TV drama "Jewel in the Palace." The soap opera, which once recorded viewer ratings of almost 90 percent in Iran, has been broadcast in the country for a decade. 

"I once saw the process of making kimchi on the Internet, but applied to attend this event to learn how to make it directly from Koreans," she said. 

With her hands covered with spicy red pepper sauce, Paniz, a 22-year-old college student, also said that she enjoyed the kimchi-making event.

"It is very hot, but quite tasty. I think it is healthy too," she said while taking selfies.

Relishing the unique taste of Korean dried seaweed, Parnaz, a 39-year-old housewife, looked engrossed with making kimbap.

"I have once tasted seaweed when I ate Japanese food," she said. "But Korean seaweed feels thinner and softer, and its smell and taste are unique."

The cooking event came as President Park Geun-hye embarked on her three-day visit to the Middle East country, which has emerged as a crucial business partner since the scrapping of economic sanctions on Tehran in January under a deal to curb its controversial nuclear program. (Yonhap)