Korean Cuisine is Staging a Not-So-Secret Global Takeover — and Lagos Isn’t Exempt
The wave of Korean cuisine is hitting Lagos hard. With restaurants like V.I.’s Hua Han going viral and more people turning to restaurants with a romantic atmosphere like Shiro, the Asian food culture has settled in for the long haul.
But here’s the curious part — it’s not just a Lagos thing; Korean food is staging a not-so-secret global takeover. The movement has been gaining so much steam that multinational analytics corporations couldn’t resist investigating it. Spoonshot found that, between January 2021 and January 2022, interest in Korean food worldwide has grown by a meteoric 90%.
Why is Korean Food getting so popular?
The rising popularity of all things Korean — from BTS, to Korean food — isn’t a coincidence. It’s a structured, dedicated goal of South Korea to become the world’s leading exporters of pop culture sensations. For decades, the South Korean people and government have consciously worked towards putting their culture in the spotlight.
The term for it is Hallyu, a Chinese word literally translated as “the Korean wave.” Hallyu began with Korean culture spreading to China and Japan in 1999 and the early 2000s. From Korean TV programs, to food and cultural content, the movement keeps growing.
In Nigeria, Korean cultural influence may have started with the TV shows getting increasingly popular, and with the growth of the BTS Nigerian fanbase. Now, it’s time for South Korea to sell its food to us. We’re not complaining, but if you are, it’s probably because you haven't tried Hua Han’s Fried Chicken.
What’s so great about Korean cuisine?
1. It’s convenient
Let’s admit it, human beings are getting lazier and lazier when it comes to food prep. We all, rightfully, want all the convenience we can get.
Korean food is easy to package, and a large part of the meals can be canned and processed. This way, if you’re getting Korean food, you’re either getting super-fast cooked food at your restaurant table or ready-to-cook packaged stuff at your doorstep.
When food gets that functional with convenience, it’s hard to not love it.
2. Korean food is super diverse
It’s tempting to get so carried away by the more popular dishes like Kimchi or Bimpap that you assume that that’s all there is to Korean food. Actually, one of the many beautiful things about Korean cuisine is that there are hundreds of dishes, and you can have all of them made in your own unique way.
3. It’s healthy food
Often, convenient food means unhealthy food, but not in Korean cuisine. Korean culture actually sees food as medicine, so there’s a lot of emphasis on nourishment in their traditional meals. When made right, the meals have a ton of health-promoting ingredients. If you won’t take it from me, take it from the dieticians at Healthline.
4. Korean cuisine is simply delicious
Yeah, you love convenience and want to eat food that’s good for your body, but that doesn’t mean you’ll eat icky food just because it’s easy to grab or healthy. Thankfully, Korean food is très délicieux. With a standard Korean meal, you’ll have chillies, pickles, cabbage, pork and meat grilled right under your nose, at your table, and it’ll all taste unbelievably good.
If BTS is any indication, the wave of Korean food in Lagos is here to stay. And with all the fantastic things we now know about the East Asian cuisine, we’re here to embrace it too.
Miracle Kati is a medical student, writer and small-town activist. She loves food adventures and daring to try everything edible from ANYwhere. I mean — what’s the worst that could happen?
