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"Welcome, Is It Your First Time in Korea?" Italian Michelin Chefs Marvel at 70-Year-Aged Soy Sauce Tea... "First Time in My Life"

On the August 6 episode of MBC Every1's "Welcome, Is It Your First Time in Korea?" airing at 8:30 PM, Italian Michelin chefs meet Seonjae, Korea's first certifi

Oseong Kwon
Staff Reporter
4 min read
"Welcome, Is It Your First Time in Korea?" Italian Michelin Chefs Marvel at 70-Year-Aged Soy Sauce Tea... "First Time in My Life"
CBC News

On the August 6 episode of MBC Every1's "Welcome, Is It Your First Time in Korea?" airing at 8:30 PM, Italian Michelin chefs meet Seonjae, Korea's first certified master of temple food, to experience the deep flavors and philosophy of Buddhist temple cuisine.

Leaving Seoul and heading to Yangpyeong, the Italian chefs meet Ven. Seonjae, a leading figure in Korean temple food. They are unable to hide their surprise upon hearing about the unique cooking philosophy of temple cuisine, which does not use any of the five pungent ingredients including garlic, as well as explanations about its core ingredients.

This is followed by a session where they tour and taste seasonal vegetables in a garden personally tended by Ven. Seonjae. During this process, an amusing incident occurs when Chef Lele, who is not fluent in Korean, accidentally puts a leaf he should not have eaten into his mouth. A flustered Chef Lele asked, "Am I going to die now?" bringing laughter to the set.

In particular, this broadcast marks the first time that aged sauces crafted with long dedication are revealed on television, including fruit gochujang, 13-year-aged doenjang, and kelp vinegar aged for over 25 years. The chefs could not stop marveling at the deep flavors of the sauces and even expressed their desire to purchase some of the products directly.

After tasting the temple food carefully prepared by Ven. Seonjae, the chefs were amazed one after another by flavors they had never experienced before. In particular, Chef Lele, who has 33 years of experience, praised the food highly, saying, "It is a taste I have experienced for the first time in my life." Furthermore, after tasting soy sauce tea made from soy sauce aged for 70 to 80 years, they were once again astonished by a depth of flavor they had never felt before.

Oseong Kwon
Staff Reporter

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