Symbolism on menu at summit dinner between North and South Korea
Dishes at a banquet following peace talks at Panmunjom include cultural and historical messages as ingredients
Symbolism will be the main course of a banquet at Friday’s inter-Korean summit meeting, Seoul disclosed on Tuesday, with a menu featuring Pyongyang’s signature dish as well as food from the hometowns of the South’s recent leaders.
No detailed schedule has been released yet, but the dinner will be held after the meeting in the same Peace House venue on the southern side of the demilitarised zone in Panmunjom.
Some of the food will come from the North, including the North’s signature dish of cold noodles. Pyongyang also agreed to send a leading chef from Okryu-gwan, a famed restaurant in the capital city, to the venue.
Cold noodles come served in a cool mild broth and garnished with pieces of meat and vegetables. The long buckwheat strands are usually cut with a pair of scissors to simplify the eating process.
The South has its own varieties but even its diners tend to favour the Pyongyang version.