China's mala sauce breaks culinary boundaries in Korea
Mala is hooking Korean palates on a growing scale across the domestic food industry. The tongue-numbingly spicy seasoning that was a traditional local favorite in China's Sichuan province has become a popular ingredient for dishes beyond authentic Chinese cuisine, spreading to Korean and Western dishes in dine-in and takeout scenes. Since its introduction to Korea in the early 2010s, the…
China's mala sauce, a tongue-numbingly spicy seasoning from Sichuan province, is making waves in Korea's culinary scene. Once a traditional local favorite, mala has begun to make inroads into Korean and Western dishes in both dine-in and takeout settings. Introduced to Korea in the early 2010s, the popularity of mala among Korean consumers has been steadily growing since, reaching new heights in recent years.
According to Google Trends, online searches for "malatang" (a mala-based hot pot) surged by 350 percent in the current month compared to 2022, while "mala" (a mixture between mala and creamy sauce) saw a 250 percent increase during the same period.
The frenzy over mala is evident in Korea's dining landscape. The largest malatang franchise restaurant brand, Tanghuo Kungfu, posted sales of 25.5 billion won (approximately $19 million) last year, nearly tripling its sales from 2022. Chunli Malatang experienced a 134 percent sales increase from 2023, while Lahongbang enjoyed a 32 percent rise from the previous year.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- China's 'mala' sauce breaks Korea's culinary boundaries koreatimes.co.kr
