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The twelfth running of National Curry Week took place in late
November and achieved more publicity and media coverage than ever
before according to the organisers. As well as radio, TV, regional
and national newspapers, the event was commented on all over the
world including :
Peru Blog
"Did you know that this week is National Curry Week in the UK?
It's not national curry week here in Peru - we don't really eat
curries here because the spices aren't available - but I got an email
about it from a UK organisaton.
I might make a curry tomorrow night for me and my partner, to
celebrate, hehe. I love curry - but nothing too spicy. I like when
it's got a bit of kick, but not so spicy so you can't actually taste
anything because it's so hot!
We can't get spices here like tumeric or curry paste/powder, etc, so
my mum sent me some from home a couple of years ago. I'll use them
tomorrow to make a tasty vegetable curry, I think". Amy
Korea (Korean Times)
"Korea has undergone a bona fide Indian food explosion over the
last few years, with restaurants now spread out across Seoul and the
other major population centers around the country.
Looking for a country to replicate? Some might say look no further
than the British, a people who perhaps more than any other have
embraced the exoticism its variety of flavors bring.
Next week sees the European country celebrate National Curry Week ?
running from this Sunday through Nov. 28 ? which has the dual aims of
raising awareness about the cuisine and raising cash for charity.
Weekend and even weeknights for many in the U.K. equal curry and a
pint of lager, and the rise in popularity of the sub-continent's fare
has even seen it termed the country's "unofficial national food."
Here in Korea, the rise in popularity of Indian cuisine has been
rapid. According to Seoul-based food critic and expat Brit Andrew
Salmon, that is due to three main reasons: Firstly, it is similar to
Korean food, he said, in that it bears strong flavors and involves a
communal method of eating.
Second, he continued, the influx of migrant labor from South Asia has
had an impact, while, third, he reckons that with Indian food, as one
of the great cuisines of the world, it was almost inevitable that it
would catch on. "So why shouldn't it be here?" he said.
Curry connoisseur Chris Crick, another Brit, who has spent 10 years
in Korea, has watched with glee as the number of restaurants here has grown.
"There are a number of really good ones around," he said.
"And some of the foreign food supermarkets make it much easier
than ever to make your own authentic dishes at home."
Others quote the rise in the number of Korean tourists to the
sub-continent, the increase in economic relations between Korea and
India, and the influx of foreigners in general as contributing factors.
In Britain, the love affair is thought to trace back to the colonial
surge of the 16th century when spices were brought back to Europe by imperialists.
Britain's colonization of the Indian sub-continent only expedited
this palate for Indian spice, with the mass migration to Britain by
its natives in the 1950s and 1960s cementing the rapid rise.
And to mark the week of the curry, The Korea Times asked Salmon,
Crick and our own restaurant reviewer Cathy Rose A. Garcia to pick
their top three local Indian restaurants:
Andrew Salmon
1. Taj, Myeong-dong ? It's affordable and the food is good.
2. Alfaba, Itaewon ? It's very high-end, good for a special night
out, and there's a decent ambience and very good food.
3. Dal, Samcheong-dong ? It has a very, very attractive ambiance:
it's in the basement of an art gallery and it looks over the Sunken
Garden. The cuisine is creamy, moderately spiced northern Indian cuisine.
Chris Crick
1. Durga, Uijeongbu ? First off, it's Nepalese and it has a really
nice atmosphere with all the decor and tapestry and stuff. It's
pretty cheap and, although it may not be the best, most of all,
because of where I live, it's very convenient for me.
2. Wazwan, Itaewon ? This place I like because it was the first place
I had come across cumin rice, and now when I cook Indian rice I
always do it with cumin.
3. Usmania, Itaewon ? This is another place I like due to
convenience. A lot of people don't like it, but I like to use it when
I'm around Itaewon to get a big batch of curries to take home to last
me the whole week. I also like their cauliflower bhajis, which are great.
Cathy Rose A. Garcia
1. Namaste, Jongmyo Subway Station ? I like it because it's
affordable, they have good sets, and it is fairly authentic. They
also have one in Jongno Tower.
2. Ganga, Seoul Finance Center ? It's kind of expensive, but it's
pretty fancy and the curry is good.
3. Potala Restaurant, Myeongdong ? It's affordable, and it has that
exotic quality. It also does Tibetan and Nepalese food in addition to
Indian, because Tibetan food is not that well known. Plus, the owner
is nice. |
