Sweet garlic flavor, one of the most beloved tastes in Korean cuisine, is gaining popularity among non-Korean customers. Restaurants are not only adding garlic to their menus but are also making it a central feature.
One notable example in Koreatown is Calic Bagel. The name is a play on “Calic” (garlic from California). Their signature garlic bagel, made with garlic butter and cream cheese, has become their most popular item. Thanks to word-of-mouth and social media, lines now form outside the shop as early as 6 a.m. on weekends.
“During COVID-19, my wife started baking garlic bagels at home. We gave them out to many friends, and they liked them. That eventually led us to open a store,” said Alex Sohn, CEO of ALMG Hospitality, which runs Calic Bagel.
Others are incorporating the garlic flavor into more traditional Korean dishes. At Mister Bossam, the best-selling dish is Bossam (boiled pork wraps) with chunky garlic sauce, with more than 80% of its customers being non-Korean. “Our customers who have tried the sweet and spicy garlic sauce find it addicting,” says Jake Lee, owner of Mister Bossam.
Taste of sweet garlic is also found in popular fried chicken places. The soy garlic sauce, which combines the sweetness and spiciness of garlic with the saltiness of soy sauce, has become popular at many fried chicken places.
The main reason for the rising popularity of sweet garlic flavor is the “swicy” trend. Swicy, a combination of “sweet” and “spicy,” has become one of the hottest food trends recently. Corporate brands like Coca-Cola and Starbucks have launched spice-flavored sodas and spicy lemonade, respectively.
In that sense, the recent popularity of sweet garlic flavor is evident. Most of popular garlic foods in Koreatown are using flavors that combine garlic’s pungent flavor with sweetness, just like the current food trend. “At first, we got a lot of bad reviews that we’re making weird mix of garlic and sweet,” said Sohn, “but we’ve developed fans after consistency, even though it could be an unusual flavor for many.”
BY WONHEE CHO, HOONSIK WOO [cho.wonhee@koreadaily.com]
