How Korean food is rising across the world and the chefs transforming traditional cuisine
With many Michelin stars between them, these chefs are blending Korean cuisine with modern elements at their restaurants
At Koan in Copenhagen, Korean-Danish chef Kristian Baumann serves a dish called Sundae, named after and inspired by sundae, blood sausage that is a popular street-food snack in Korea.
But Baumann’s version transforms the simple sausage on a stick into something more exquisite: he uses pork from black-spotted pigs raised at Troldgaarden, an organic farm in Denmark’s Jutland region, along with aromatic rice and spices.
The “sausage” is deep fried in a tempura shell, encircled by a ring of perfect discs of dried blackcurrant and served on a brushed gold plate.
Dishes such as Sundae not only helped Koan earn two Michelin stars within 10 weeks of opening, but also helped Baumann feel less “lost”.
At Koan, he began to fully articulate his identity for the first time, blending European and Korean cuisine with Nordic ingredients.
