Unexpected Pairing: Korean Ferments Meet American Cream Cheese
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
A US dairy showcase at Seoul’s fine-dining restaurant Vicheyna demonstrated creative pairings of American cream cheese with Korean fermented ingredients. Chef Jeon Gwang-sik focused on the fermentation process, turning myoga (pickled wild ginger leaves), yeotguk-salt (nuruk-based salt), yuzu (a citrus fruit), gamtae (edible seaweed), and dried persimmon into powdered ferments blended into cream cheese. The team served five dishes — including gamtae cream cheese kim-bugak (crispy seaweed snack sandwich), myoga cream cheese yukhoe on grilled jeungpyeon (steamed rice cake), yuzu cream cheese snow crab fritter, nuruk-salt cream cheese bibim-guksu (cold mixed noodles) with pickled onion and kimchi stir-fry, and dried-persimmon cream cheese dessert — showcasing how cream cheese can expand within refined Korean cuisine. Organizers said both Korean fermentation and Western cheese share a ‘‘slow craft’’ philosophy, and the collaboration highlights harmonious fusion rather than contrast.
