Korea Craft and Design Foundation to promote hansik with 'food culture box'

"Korean Food Culture Box" set up at the Korean Cultural Center Osaka, Japan (KCDF)

Boxes created to promote traditional Korean cuisine, named the Korean food culture box, will be sent to Korean Culture Centers in three new cities -- Ottawa, Canada; Abuja, Nigeria; and Jakarta, Indonesia -- bringing the total to 12 cities in 10 countries that are part of the hansik promotion project, according to the Korea Craft and Design Foundation, the project organizer.

Launched by the Culture Ministry and the KCDF in 2020, the food culture boxes have been designed to showcase Korean food culture and craftsman ship. Each box contains a variety of video and audio materials as well as games that facilitate an understanding of diverse dishes and how they are cooked.

In 2020, the boxes were sent to Korean Cultural Centers in Paris, London and Tokyo. The following year, Korean Cultural Centers in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi, the Kazakh capital Astana and New York received the boxes. In 2022, they were sent to Korean Cultural Centers in Stockholm, the Japanese city of Osaka and Los Angeles.

Six different types of food culture boxes are available, allowing for two types of exhibitions.

"Hansik-dorak" offers an engaging experience by presenting facts about hansik, or Korean cuisine, through popular games and short-form video content. It also provides demonstrations on how to prepare basic Korean dishes and showcases the art of wrapping using "bojagi," or wrapping cloth. This exhibition specifically targets millennials and Generation Z, who are well-acquainted with hansik from watching K-dramas and films.

The "Korean Feast" series comprises three distinct themes: the royal family, noble family and one-day feast.

Featuring carefully arranged tables and trays used in both ceremonial and everyday settings, crafts such as "yugi," hand-crafted bronzeware, "baekja," white porcelain, and "onggi," Korean earthenware, are on display on traditional dining tables.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Indonesia this year, the foundation is looking to promote hansik by holding Korean food cooking classes in Jakarta as part of the Korean Food Culture Box project.