“I became interested after seeing actor Lee Kwang-soo on a variety show. In Japan it is even introduced as a must-try course,” Haru, a 26-year-old visitor from Okayama, said as she picked out two palm-sized glass bottles from a narrow alley shop in central Seoul on Jan. 2. The store was not selling K-pop merchandise or cosmetics. Instead, its neatly arranged shelves were filled with premium sesame oil, with staff explaining in Japanese that it tastes good mixed with shoyu, or soy sauce. Once sold in squat cans or soju bottles and long overshadowed by olive oil, sesame oil is now being reimagined as a wellness-driven premium product. Riding the global popularity of Korean cuisine, it has also become a sought-after ingredient among chefs worldwide. The shift began in the late 2000s, when consumers learned that the traditional high-temperature pressing method — roasting sesame seeds at about 270 degrees Celsius — could destroy nutrients and even produce carcinogens such as benzopyrene. While shoppers wanted healthier options, mass-produced oils fell short in flavor and raised conce
The Korean flavor winning over New York
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