Korean Spring Chicken Stew Goes to America

By Jane Han

Staff Reporter

The Korea Times

11-11-2008

Chicken soup lovers in America: get ready for something bolder, heartier and bigger because Korea's version of the popular heartwarming meal ― one with a whole stuffed chicken ― will soon be headed your way.

Exports will begin in the first half of next year at the earliest, according to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tuesday.

Inspectors of the U.S. Department of Agriculture reportedly made a 12-day visit to Seoul last month to check quarantine and sanitary standards of the country's largest farms, including Harim and Maniker.

U.S. authorities are set to compile an inspection report within 60 days of their trip, collect Seoul's opinion and spend another 60 days for a hearing process in the U.S. before finalizing their import decision, the ministry said.

Local authorities estimate that if no special problems rise, import details will be defined by February-March and actual outbound shipments will begin no later than middle of next year. Samgyetang will be shipped in a processed and packed form.

Local chicken raisers say the hearty Korean concoction will entice American eaters because it closely identifies with the American style chicken noodle soup in taste, although fancier and grander in size.

Seoul has been trying to export ``samgyetang,'' or a young chicken stuffed with ginseng and rice and served in a stew, for the past 10 years, but failed every time as the U.S. claimed it was unsatisfied with the domestic poultry farms' sanitary conditions.

Korea even raised the issue during the Seoul-Washington beef talks held in April.

Another matter on the table at the time was the export of ``hanwoo,'' Korea's homebred cattle, which the ministry said is now nearly finalized.

Officials said the two countries have been in close talks after American foot-and-mouth disease inspectors visited Seoul in March.

The World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) listed South Korea as an FMD free zone in 2002, but the U.S. has resisted hanwoo imports and insisted on an independent inspection.

Although hanwoo is expected to be shipped to the U.S. next year, officials say that the timing will be later than the samgyetang because imports approval procedures are more complex for unprocessed food.

koreatimes.co.kr