Hanu's hanwoo barbecue meal in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates / Courtesy of Gaon Society
Korean fine dining restaurant Hanu in Dubai is now seeing rising demand for hanwoo, Korean beef livestock, over Japanese wagyu.
The growing popularity of Korean beef is generating buzz not only for its distinctive taste but also for helping redefine hansik, or traditional Korean cuisine, in one of the Middle East’s major economies.
For the past five years, Hanu chef Moon Kyung-soo has worked to secure halal certification for imported hanwoo from Korea, which is now the most popular meat selection at the establishment.
“Hanwoo is not as fatty as wagyu. Hanwoo’s real flavor is in its juice and aroma. Our patrons at first doubted hanwoo but they love it now. A table once ordered 25 servings of hanwoo in a single meal,” Moon said in an interview with The Korea Times on Monday.
