[Soup] Isn't cooking skill the most important thing for an 'Antarctic Chef'?

'Dramatic people' who study while experiencing extreme extremes in the extreme northern and southern ends of the earth.

A collaboration project between the people of the Polar Research Institute and Soup, who often go back and forth to the Antarctic and the Arctic, which are difficult for ordinary people to visit once in their lifetime!

Hear their stories on the front lines of climate change!

(Written by: Kim Sang-jin, Antarctic Jangbogo Science Station 8th Woldong Research Center Culinary Staff)

Eating is the most basic thing in human life.

A lot of people around me ask me questions after I finished wintering in Antarctica.

Then what kind of food did you serve there?

How do you get food?

Need a freezer?

My answer was:

In Antarctica, there are not things that we should take for granted in our daily lives.

That's why it's a place where we feel grateful for all the things we took for granted.

Perhaps we will live in such an environment in the distant future?

It is often said that this is a place where you can learn how precious it is to eat fresh ingredients.

What is the most important skill for an 'Antarctic Chef'?

Electricity is limited in Antarctica, so when the cold season arrives, we turn off the freezer.

Instead, they rely on the natural environment for storage in external refrigerated containers.

Due to climate change, the Antarctic temperature is also changing, so the frozen products are not in perfect condition.

All ingredients are frozen and come in through the ship for a long time, and because they are not brought in at a constant temperature, all ingredients that are sensitive to temperature are of a lower quality than those eaten in Korea. (Ingredients delivered from Korea are inspected There are temperature changes while loading, temperature changes when loading into containers, and temperature changes when unloading from the Antarctic

.

How to defrost frozen kimchi deliciously, how to ripen thawed kimchi deliciously, how to catch the fishy smell of frozen fish and how to defrost it fresh, and how to defrost frozen meat to the same level as refrigerated meat are the most important.

Ingredients from special regions need to be handled with more care than usual.

Among them, kimchi is one of the most important foods on the Korean table.

Therefore, the process of defrosting and aging frozen kimchi in a delicious way can be seen as the most important.

When kimchi is frozen and thawed, it becomes tough, and as the delicious flavors permeated into kimchi are thawed, the cabbage and seasoning are separated, leaving the taste of pickled cabbage and seasoning separate.

After the cabbage and seasoning are separated, it takes time for the seasoning to enter the cabbage again.

In the end, time becomes the most important point.

Chefs at bases in Korea must ensure that they do not skip the period during which the kimchi is fermented in a delicious way, so that they can provide a Korean meal table that is a great source of strength for the soldiers who are struggling.

The same goes for frozen fish.

As the freezer system has its own defrosting time, there will be a temperature difference, and the condition of the ingredients will gradually dry out and the smell will not be good.

Also, since you cannot get the necessary ingredients right away, you have to solve this problem by defrosting, and when you receive the ingredients, all ingredients must be delivered individually vacuum-packed so that they can be used without major changes for a year.

What to eat in Antarctica

In Antarctica, the type of food you can eat for a year depends on your chef skills.

That's why Antarctic chefs must have the ability to cook a variety of dishes.

During my one-year stay in Antarctica, I served food from various countries such as South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, but the most important thing was Korean food.

Most crews at the Antarctic base are of a high average age.

Many people prefer Korean food, and many people work outside in the cold, so warm soups such as kimchi soup, kimchi stew, soybean paste stew, and budae stew are the most popular.

More than 95% of a year's worth of food is brought in frozen, and they come to Antarctica with a variety of frozen products.

There are also frozen vegetables such as frozen carrots, frozen onions, frozen garlic, frozen green onions, and frozen paprika.

In addition, a small amount of fresh ingredients are brought in from New Zealand. On the way to the Antarctic, fresh ingredients such as fruits, onions, potatoes, green onions, eggs, milk, and cheese are meticulously checked and brought in through the icebreaking research vessel Araon coming.

It is an environment where you can make food like Korea except that all ingredients are frozen.

In addition, frozen vegetables and fruits do not lose significant nutrients, so you can get enough nutrients.

Can I eat fresh vegetables for a year?

But wouldn't a year be too long to live on frozen food?

In the base, the thirst for freshness is quenched with the smart farm hydroponic cultivation facility.

Through the hydroponic cultivation facility that automatically waters and controls the temperature and humidity, you can eat plenty of cool vegetables and peppers throughout the year.

However, since it is not a perfect automation system, peppers need to be fertilized one by one, nutrient solutions must be added, and the soil must be changed, and this also depends on the interest of the person in charge.

In addition, only a specific manager has access to manage from external risk factors.

Preparing for an event in Antarctica

I think the hardest thing about Antarctica is the loneliness that comes from being 13,000km away from Korea and being cut off from family and the outside world.

You can't go on vacation, you can't see your family, you can't meet your friends, and all your wintering companions are for a year, so in Antarctica, your colleagues depend on each other.

Antarctic chefs are also one of the wintering teammates, and I think food can give them the greatest happiness.

I think I overcame loneliness by making cakes for each team member’s birthday, making food they wanted to eat, such as seaweed soup, making holiday food together, making and eating winter solstice red bean porridge together, and having pork belly dinners.

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