Global Korean: Chef Na Hyun-jung Spreads Authentic Korean Cuisine in Tunisia
Creatrip Team
21 days ago
Na Hyun-jung, a 42-year-old Korean chef, has run Le Bambou, an Asian restaurant in Tunisia, for 16 years after choosing the country as a KOICA volunteer posting in 2008. Attracted by abundant seafood, seasonal produce and French culinary influence, she began teaching Asian cooking at the Tunisian National Tourism Training Center in 2009, then opened Le Bambou in 2011. She built the restaurant resourcefully—handling most interior work herself and using secondhand kitchen equipment—and adapted recipes to local constraints, substituting Tunisian harissa (a spicy red pepper paste) for gochujang when it was unavailable. Emphasizing respect for local systems, she delegates legal and tax matters to local experts, which helped the restaurant grow every year without revenue decline. Le Bambou, named after bamboo (a common Asian symbol and ingredient), now employs 15 local staff, serves mostly Tunisian customers who enjoy Korean sweet-and-salty flavors ('dan-jan'), and features signature spicy seafood rice bowls and fried noodles made with harissa. Na plans to introduce authentic Korean hanjeongsik (한정식, traditional multicourse Korean meals) as supply chains improve, and encourages young chefs to consider overseas entrepreneurship. She also engages in local giving, reflecting a long-term commitment to Tunisia.
