Gourmet food show to "decode" Korean cuisine

Grocers have been starting to stock Korean food ingredients on supermarket shelves at growing consumer demand for the cuisine, known for its pungent, spicy flavors and liberal use of garlic.

At the 60th edition of the Summer Fancy Food Show taking place through June 19 in Washington DC, the basics of Korean cuisine will be taught to culinary professionals and retailers, such as how to pick the best gochujang, a spicy red bean paste, and what purposes different types of seaweed serve.

For instance, roasted salted seaweed or gim is for wrapping around rice much like a lettuce wrap, while dashima, also known as kombu in Japanese, is kelp, used to make soups and stews.

Meanwhile, one of the silver finalists for the annual sofi awards this year is KimKim's Korean Hot Sauce, the Korean version of Sriracha sauce described as a tangy, spicy condiment that can be used like ketchup -- that is, on everything from mac and cheese and noodle dishes to scrambled eggs.

Last year, influential trendspotters Baum + Whiteman predicted that 2012 would be the year of kimchi given the growing popularity of Korean fare, particularly in the US.

And one of the emerging trends highlighted at the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago last month was, likewise, gim, paper-thin sheets of roasted, salted seaweed that consumers have been seen munching as low-calorie crispy snacks.

The Summer Fancy Food Show run until June 19.