Korean gochujang and black sauce are hugely popular in Europe, the ”home of sauces”... Spicy food boom arrives = Korean report

In Europe, where sauce culture is well developed, spicy sauces have become popular in recent years, and Korean sauces such as gochujang and black tea sauce are also becoming more and more popular.
According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT)'s agricultural and food export information, the market size of sauces in Western Europe is expected to reach $28.5 billion (approximately 4 trillion yen) in 2023.
), which grew 10% from a year ago. The market size had been declining due to rising prices caused by the Russia-Ukraine war from 2022, but has been steadily increasing since then.
In fact, sauces play an important role in cooking and food in Europe, so much so that school and company cafeterias always have two or three types of sauce on hand.
Mintel, a global food market research agency, said that many French consumers are constantly looking for new flavors from 2022 onwards.
Korean hot sauce Gochujang is also becoming more popular thanks to the popularity of "Swicy". Younger French consumers are also keen to try new flavour combinations, especially spicy ones.
It turns out that people are attracted to the combination of spicy and other flavors. Until now, Europeans have perceived hotness as a spice. For Europeans who are not used to spices other than pepper and cinnamon,
However, Asian "spicy" is still an unfamiliar taste. For most Europeans, hot sauces are still mostly just sriracha, hot sauce, or sauces with jalapenos and chilis.
However, famous European chefs began to use spiciness to create new flavors and visual effects, and dishes incorporating Asian tastes were developed one after another, and Korean culture began to take root.
The content has helped to widely introduce Korean foods such as pluck and gochujang to Europe, drawing attention to the trend of spiciness.
An official from the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation said, "This trend is spreading throughout Europe.
"But it's only recently that Europeans have been able to distinguish between Asian foods from different countries," he said. "Hot sauce sections have been set up in retail stores, and hot sauces, chili sauces, and chili peppers are being sold.
The sauce market has been steadily expanding over the past five years, with a high growth rate of 10% compared to the previous year.
The official said, "Due to the popularity of Asian food culture in Europe and the popularity of K-content, we expect there will be continued demand for Korean spicy food in the future.
"Korean exporters of sauces to Europe will monitor the trends and develop products that suit the aesthetic, ethical and lifestyle sensibilities of European consumers," he said.
"It is important to prepare products that will appeal to consumers in the local market."