The vegetable minari, which is favored by Koreans, is recently gaining popularity in Japan as a 'Korean wave food.'
According to reports from Japan's TBS TV program 'Hiruobi' on the 21st, the minari is becoming popular in Japan due to the recent Korean wave. In Shinjuku, a prominent Korean town in Tokyo, long lines are forming to taste 'minari samgyeopsal.'
An operator of a tavern in Tokyo said, '90% of our customers order minari stew, and 90% of those who have tasted it return to the restaurant.' The restaurant features a variety of dishes utilizing minari, such as 'minari jeon,' 'minari galbitang,' and 'minari samgyeopsal.'
In fact, according to local restaurant review sites, the number of restaurants selling minari stew in Tokyo has increased about 4.2 times in the last 10 years. Minari is used in various dishes, including ramen and spaghetti, and its applications are expanding.
Additionally, the shipment value of minari has reached an all-time high. The minari shipment value in Japan also exceeded 480 million yen (about 46.2 billion won) in 2023, marking a record high, and the wholesale price is reported to be rising above the average of the past five years.
On Japanese social media (SNS), comments continue to pour in, such as, 'I thought there would be a barrier to entry for minari, but it was not the case at all, and I finished it completely,' and 'I tried minari samgyeopsal for the first time and it was the best samgyeopsal I have ever had.'