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From Our Own Correspondent: Korea's Changing Tastes

25/02/2016 GMT

From Our Own Correspondent: South Korea's Changing Tastes

BBC World Service - The Essential, From Our Own Correspondent: South Korea's Changing Tastes

Why the world's best baguettes are no longer made by French, but South Korean bakers

Why the world's best baguettes are now baked in Seoul, not Paris.

Some of the finest bakers in France were recently humiliated as the Coupe du Monde du Boulangerie in Paris - the most prestigious competition in the world of patisserie - declared that the best baguettes had been made by a team from South Korea. BBC Seoul correspondent Steve Evans reflects on how food has changed there over the past four decades - not just what people eat, as the nation's diet moves from rice to wheat, but also who does the cooking and where they are eating. It turns out that image is ever more important - and part of the reason the nation is feeling sophisticated and globalised lies in enjoying an increasingly varied menu. 

(Photo: South Korea's team celebrate with their trophy after winning the first place during the Bakery world cup, as part of the Europain fair 2016, in Villepinte near Paris. Credit: Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images)

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