How Netflix’s Chef’s Table star Jeong Kwan put temple food on the map in Korea – and where to taste the best
South Korea’s answer to culinary tourism, temple food, is made from home-made, meatless ingredients and locally-sourced vegetables, and is used to practise Buddhism
In 2017, Jeong Kwan introduced the world to Korean temple food on the popular Netflix show, Chef’s Table. But the initiative to educate tourists about Korea’s version of healthy gourmet started 15 years earlier.
In 2002, South Korea launched its Templestay programmes, which have become a successful tourism initiative. These have been operated by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism to show visitors what life is like as a monk or nun.
Jeong Kwan continues to teach visitors as well, but protests she is not a typical chef. “I’m not a chef but a nun,” she says, adding that she uses food to practise Buddhism. “Temple food” – as its name suggests – is eaten by monks and nuns in temples. But in Korean Buddhism, this reference may come up a bit short. Here, temple food is considered one of the ways to exercise Buddhist teachings, including growing the ingredients that are used to make dishes.