HOOK Logo
Lifestyle | Food
Stuti Bhattacharya

Are K-Dramas Catapulting Korean Cuisine To Cult-Favourite Status In India?

Are K-Dramas Catapulting Korean Cuisine To Cult-Favourite Status In India?
00:00
00:00
K-dramas have popularised Korean food in India in a way that has made Indian fans connect with Korean people. So, Indians know seaweed soup is a Korean birthday dish, tteokbokki is a popular snack, and kimbaps help people fuel up in a rush. This has given us a glimpse into the Korean way of life.

A decade or so ago, Korean food was quite foreign to Indians, barring two-three restaurants scattered in big cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, or Mumbai. Now, there are two kimbap joints in Patna, at least 20 Korean restaurants across Delhi NCR, and countless small cloud kitchens dedicated to selling Korean snacks just in the national capital. Mega-brands like Maggi and Knorr are making Korean-style instant ramen noodles. Bibimbap has entered mainstream food lexicon.

How did Korean food come to India?

The introduction of this new cuisine wasn’t because of a major influx of migrants. It wasn’t because Korea is a neighbouring country. In fact, it wasn’t any of the usual reasons a country sees a different region’s cuisine make waves in it. It was thanks to Korean television shows, also known as K-dramas, which have blown up in the past couple of years on popular streaming platforms like Disney+Hotstar and Netflix, among others.

The K-drama and Korean food connection

From shows like Boys Over Flowers depicting the meals of a working-class family, to the recent Love Next Door exploring the nostalgia of classic Korean dishes, each show inevitably gives the audience an insight into how Korean food is intricately connected to Korean culture. What’s more is, it all looks drool-worthy!

After all, one cannot watch a K-drama without wanting to gobble up a kimbap or inhale a plate of spicy tteokbokki. But this spread of Korean cuisine isn't happening in a vacuum.

How us desis have connected with Korea thanks to its cuisine

Food is a huge part of culture, and the export of McDonald’s across the world is the most common example of how a country wields soft power through this route. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that South Korea has managed to export its culture through K-dramas, by plugging their cuisine into these shows.

As a result, we are now familiar with intricate details of Korean culture and society because of how they eat and what they eat on what occasion. Today, someone sitting in Delhi knows that in South Korea, asking a person to get ramen with you is akin to someone propositioning you. We know that Korean students often grab kimbaps from convenience stores as a quick, easy, and cheap snack to fuel up. The dramas show us how a mother's love can be shown through homemade jars of kimchi, much like bottles of achaar in India. Nearly every show depicts office-workers joining their colleagues for samgyeopsal and drinks as a post-work treat. We’ve also learnt how seaweed soup is eaten on birthdays there, the way Bengalis treat kheer like a birthday dish in India. All of this isn’t just isolated clips of food. It all gives us an insight into life in Korea, and doesn't just tell us what they eat, but how life in a different country works.

South Korean culture is more relatable for us because of the shows

This, in turn, draws the viewer in from a whole different part of the world, and connects them to the culture and lifestyle of a country’s people in a way that the audience identifies with them and relates to them. This becomes significant when we consider how consuming elements from a certain foreign culture without acknowledging the traditions and context it came from, often results in a lack of empathy.

Not unlike cultural appropriation via costumes, eating people’s food without respecting or appreciating the origins of their food or them, results in the dehumanisation of the ‘other.’ Contextualising the rituals behind food consumption helps add a respectfulness towards those whose culture we are partaking in. That is why the way South Korea has exported its food culture through shows is a unique way of making the consumer understand the workings of a society they’d otherwise rarely be exposed to.

It's unfortunate that it often takes creative cultural exports to foster such understanding and respect among global audiences. Yet, the success of Korean cuisine in India is a testament to the power of shared cultural experiences. But, shouldn't tolerance and respect for a different culture be something that comes to humanity naturally?

Logo
Download App
Play Store BadgeApp Store Badge
About UsContact UsTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyCopyright © Editorji Technologies Pvt. Ltd. 2025. All Rights Reserved