The course was enthusiastically attended by about 100 people.

The closing ceremony featured a special lecture by Hong, an expert in dietetics, on the history of Korean fermented foods and their health benefits.

Hong said that Korean people have traditionally had a healthy diet as they have been eating on fermented-foods for thousands of years. 

Egyptian chefs with participants at the 2023 Korean Cooking Academy course (photo credit of the KCC)

Hong Seng Hee provided recipes for some fermented dishes including Kimchi, the most famous traditional fermented vegetable dish.

Later, the Korean chef presented a live food demonstration where she offered detailed step-by-step cooking instructions for three dishes, including Bibimbap (mixed ingredients including rice, vegetables, and meat), Teok-galbi (minced meat mixed with rice cake and vegetables) and Geotjeori (a type of Kimchi).

About 30 professional chefs from the Egyptian Chefs Association attended the event that lasted for three hours. Participants had a chance to taste all three dishes presented in the demonstration.

Chef Sarah Talaat, a member of the Egyptian Chefs Association, expressed her appreciation for the event saying that she became very much interested in discovering more about Korea’s food and culture.

Egyptian participants in the Korean Food Academy course

Ashraf Gamal, the executive director of the Egyptian Chefs Association, added that Bibimbap is similar to Egyptian Koshari.

He said he hoped that future events could be organized to highlight the similarities between the food culture in Egypt and South Korea.

The K-Food Academy, one of the most popular events held by the KCC, provided an opportunity for participants to discover authentic Korean cuisine, a distinctive symbol of Korean culture.

Oh Sungho, director of the KCC, commented "Korean food seems to be gaining popularity in Egypt especially among young generations, influenced by Korean pop culture, music, TV dramas and movies. I hope that this course will contribute to greatly enhancing dialogue and mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries."

He added that the KCC will continue to enhance the cultural exchange between the peoples of the two countries by organizing various cultural events that cover all components of Korean Culture.