[The Baking Typewriter] What Flavor Does the Story-Mixed 'Writer's Cooking' Have?

Jang Jun-woo's Food Odyssey... From Familiar Ingredients to Unfamiliar Ones with Charm
Adding the Reasons for Their Use Enhances the Flavor

‘Zampone’ is a type of sausage made by hollowing out the front leg of a pig and mixing in pig skin, belly meat, and fat. It is mainly eaten as a New Year's dish in the Modena region of Italy. A similar dish, ‘Cotechino,’ is a sausage made by stuffing pig intestines with offal and is also considered a New Year's food in central Italy. The idea of eating sausage with belly meat from the very start of the new year might seem quite greasy, but there is a reason behind this custom. In Europe, pigs were typically slaughtered in winter to make sausages for food supplies. The meaty hind legs were reserved for the nobility, while the common people received pig trotters, intestines, and skin. These parts were difficult to store for long periods and had to be consumed quickly, which usually happened just before or after the New Year.

From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem odd to start the New Year by eating sausages made from pig trotters, but when you learn that this food culture arose from the need to use inexpensive parts given to commoners without waste, you soon find yourself nodding in understanding. This is because the origins of our own cuisine are not far removed from this. Foods that once seemed exotic or destined to remain only as travel memories can be found close to us when viewed in this context. Following the journey chronicled in the recently published book Jang Jun-woo’s Food Odyssey, you encounter this truth repeatedly.

The author, who runs the wine bistro ‘Arouz’ and works as a food writer, studied cooking in Italy and traveled through 10 European countries and over 60 cities. The book is filled with records of his curiosity and research on various global ingredients, in addition to the foods he learned. The author’s ‘cooking’ begins with ingredient preparation. He covers familiar vegetables like pumpkin, cucumber, corn, and tomato, as well as unfamiliar ingredients such as artichoke and saffron. Listening to the stories behind these ingredients, even the zucchini squash commonly found on our tables takes on a new perspective. You also learn the difference between zucchini and the similar but slightly different courgette. The author explains that each ingredient used in cooking has its own unique charm and a specific reason for being included.

Foods prepared with diverse ingredients become even more delicious when you understand their background. Stories about how Korean-style curry came from India, why pasta is so popular in Korean Italian restaurants, or why fish and chips became a symbol of British cuisine subtly suggest that the essence of flavor lies beyond the food itself. Knowing why Turkish kebabs became the most beloved food among Berliners in Germany adds a new dimension to the kebabs we will eat in the future.

The author’s culinary journey starts in Korea and extends through European countries such as Spain, Italy, France, the UK, and Germany, as well as Asian countries like Vietnam and Indonesia, and even to South American cuisine in Peru. Throughout, he consistently poses a question to readers and himself: ‘What is the essence of food?’ Despite experiencing a wide variety of colorful dishes worldwide, he chose gukbap (Korean soup with rice) as the one dish he would eat for the rest of his life. Taste, nutrition, and price may be secondary. A bowl of gukbap, which uses every part of the ingredients without waste, contains the joy and fulfillment that transcend history and culture. The author seems to have already found his own answer to what is most important in food and its essence.

(Jang Jun-woo’s Food Odyssey / Written by Jang Jun-woo / Book&Media D Enter / 16,000 KRW)