South Korea wants to impress guest Donald Trump with beef and gravy made from ‘exquisite’ 360-year-old soy sauce
South Korea’s presidential office has been stressed about competing with the ‘customised meals’ that Trump got in Japan
What do you feed an American president who famously likes his steak well done and served with ketchup? That’s the problem vexing chefs in Asia this week as Donald Trump travels through the region.
Trump will be feted at a state dinner in Seoul Tuesday night, and his hosts have created a menu to appeal to their guest while adhering to the principle of highlighting the local cuisine.
The dinner, at the Blue House compound next to a former royal palace, includes a beef rib dish accompanied by a gravy made with an “exquisite, 360-year-old soy sauce”, said a spokesman for Seoul’s presidential office.
The age implies it was made in 1657, the year the father of the US Declaration of Independence signatory Benjamin Franklin was born.
Fermented food including soy sauce is a staple in South Korean cuisine, with soy sauces made by famous artisans and fermented for decades – or centuries – sold for tens of thousands of dollars per litre.
In one food show in 2012, a group of artisans displayed soy sauce they claimed had been made 450 years ago, with a price tag of 100 million won (US$90,000).