Doha: "Hallyu" or the "Korean Wave" has taken over the shelves of Qatar supermarkets and the palates of foodies as more and more people are discovering the culture through K-Pop and K-Dramas.
The popularity of K-Pop and K-Dramas has reached a crescendo in Qatar and many hotels and supermarkets are competing to incorporate Korean flavours in their menus and product lines.
Korean instant noodles and other products seen on the shelves of a Doha store. Photo by Zeke Tunay
According to Korea.net, a platform that promotes the country's culture online, the Korean wave was primarily led by its idol groups from the 2000s to early 2010.
From this point, the Korean Wave started to cascade its popularity to global audiences as more people started recognising the allure of its culture through music, films, and eventually extended to its cuisines, literature, and more.
Access to South Korean culture, made easy through OTT services and social media platforms, is also attributed to its success as more content gets consumed with just a click.
For some enthusiasts in Qatar, Korean dramas and films were the main drivers to try out Korean cuisines.
Zeke Tunay, a Filipino expat and owner of the food blog Best Life Qatar, had his first taste of Korean food when he arrived in Doha in 2009. Back then, the choices of diners catering to this specific cuisine were very limited and less than a handful.
Fast forward to the present, several Korean restaurants and food marts have sprouted in Qatar as they rode the rising wave of Korean culture in the country.
Filipino food blogger, Zeke Tunay, with his family at a Korean restaurant in Qatar.
"The demand went beyond cooked food, even hard-to-find Korean products, initially only available online, are now found in Korean groceries like Korean Food Center and Vision Mart, and other leading supermarkets," Tunay commented.
Global trends from South Korea also made an impact in Qatar as many residents participated in the tearful fire noodle challenge and the dalgona coffee challenge.
The dalgona coffee challenge started trending in January 2020 after the South Korean actor Jung Il-woo tried it in Macau during his appearance on a television show called "Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant". The actor said that the beverage reminded him of the dalgona candy, a popular sweet treat, which also made headlines after being featured on Netflix's biggest original series "Squid Game".
Home baker and food blogger, Gopika Chandra, was a part of the global craze for Dalgona coffee challenge. Apart from its whippingly sweet flavour, it had also become a welcome distraction during the early pandemic days.
Home baker and food blogger, Gopika Chandra, with her home made Korean food.
Gopika said: "I thoroughly enjoyed participating in Korean food trends. For a coffee lover like me, my personal favourite was the Dalgona Coffee trend, which I had attempted as I had seen everyone else on social media doing the same during the early lockdown days."
Although Gopika has been residing in Qatar for more than a decade, she is fairly new to the flavours of South Korean cuisines, which piqued her attention thanks to K-dramas, K-Pop, and food travelogues.
With the availability of Korean food products gaining momentum in the country, through dedicated stores and leading supermarkets, exploring these cuisines has become easier for enthusiasts like her.
Korean dish Spicy Tteokbokki made by Gopika Chandra
Starting from instant noodles and street snacks to staple side dishes and rice meals, the accessibility to ingredients gave Gopika an opportunity to explore more in the kitchen.
"I started out by making instant Jajangmyeon (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce) and then went on experimenting with other items such as Spicy Tteokbokki, Homemade Kimchi and Bibimbap," she added.
Popular Korean dish Bibimbap from a restaurant in Qatar. Photo by Zeke Tunay
For others, fondness for Korean cuisines was channelled through music. The rise of Korean pop music around the globe is also playing a part in attracting more people to explore its culture through a steady increase of Hallyu-related fanbases and organizations.
According to Korea.net, "As of 2020, the total number of members who have joined Hallyu-related organizations in all countries around the world have reached nearly 100 million."
It also further mentioned that the majority of these include the fanbases of groups like BTS and BLACKPINK, with their fans called ARMY and BLINK respectively.
South Korean boyband BTS, with its global popularity, also amassed thousands of fans in Qatar and has bridged its diverse community through fanbases.
One of its fan groups in the country is QatarBTSArmy, a fan club formed by a team of passionate individuals who support the group with an aim to propagate BTS' message of ‘love yourself’.
A pre-pandemic photo of QatarBTSArmy in 2018 during a cooking lesson at the Korean embassy in Qatar.
BTS not only influenced the community through its music but also with Korean cuisine which can be seen often on its social media updates.
"We are exposed to so many Korean dishes by BTS in many of their live sessions and variety programs," QatarBTSArmy told The Peninsula.
"The 7 group members take great pride in their culture and in many of their live broadcasts...they share their meals with us," the fanbase said.
One of the dishes that QatarBTSArmy is most excited about is Korean Barbecue, a popular method of dining where cooking and eating simultaneously on the table gives a unique experience for diners, especially for those in groups.
"There are many side dishes served along with it, which we can mix and match for each bite," the group members said.
Not only did Korean cuisines and food products become a common ground for enthusiasts of Korean films and music, it also helped in easing hampered plans for travel during the Covid-19 pandemic as leaving a country has become difficult and complicated for many.
"Not only that it is close to our taste buds as Filipinos, but food nowadays would be our best alternative experience other than travelling physically," Zeke Tunay said.
Fried Japchae roll prepared in a Korean restaurant in Qatar. Photo by Zeke Tunay.
For enthusiasts like Zeke Tunay, Gopika Chandra, and the fanbase QatarBTSArmy, the love for Korean food will surely continue as they hope for more options, like desserts, which haven't been introduced in the country.
"While we are grateful for the options we have currently, borne out of the multi-diverse cultures mingling in beautiful Qatar, there is still room for improvement. Many desserts like Bingsu are unheard of right now in Qatar and we look forward to these opportunities," QatarBTSArmy expressed.
"It’s here to stay and will become an even more popular option for many residents in Qatar," Tunay declared.
