Fermented Histories: Koryo Saram Cuisine

Fermentation and Pickling as Culinary and Cultural Practice: Exploring Koryo Saram Cuisine and Intangible Heritage with Tobias Stefan (HU Berlin)

Join us for a Fermenta Collective workshop that delves into fermentation not only as a culinary technique, but also as a form of intangible cultural heritage. This session places a special focus on Koryo Saram cuisine - the food traditions of the Korean diaspora community in Central Asia, formed largely through the forced deportations of Koreans within the Soviet Union in 1937.

Koryo Saram foodways have evolved in unique ways, distinct from contemporary Korean cuisine on the peninsula. Through generations, communities adapted their culinary practices to Central Asian tastes, ingredients, and environments. Today, their dishes have become an integral part of the broader Central Asian culinary landscape.

In this workshop, we will explore these traditions through practice and conversation:

• Learn about the history and everyday cultural significance of Koryo Saram cuisine, with insights from Tobias’ doctoral research in social and cultural anthropology focusing on Koryo Saram heritage in Uzbekistan

• Prepare morkovcha, the iconic Koryo Saram carrot salad - often referred to as Koryo Saram carrot kimchi

• Make our own chimchi, a Koryo Saram version of kimchi to take home

• Enjoy our dishes alongside staples of Central Asian cuisine

As someone with family roots in Central Asia, Tobias is looking forward to sharing not only techniques and recipes, but also the personal and historical stories that make Koryo Saram food a rich expression of intangible cultural heritage.