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Korean Pears Contribute to $110 Burger

Posted by ZenKimchi in Globalization | 1 comment

I recently read on Slashfood that a $110 Kobe beef burger has been introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. It uses premium ingredients that are almost all imported, which accounts for the price. The hamburger is made from Kobe beef, Portobello mushrooms, foie gras, and Korean pears.

If you’ve never had a Korean pear, you gotta try one. You can also find them in the grocery store labeled as “Asian” pears. They’ve quickly become one of my top five favorite fruits. They’re sweet, extremely juicy, and have a firm solid texture that makes them unique. They are not at all like the familiar Anjou pears, which I always thought had a soapy taste, which makes me wonder why the Korean pear is called a pear. I’m not a botanist, so I’m sure there’s something I’m missing in the lucrative academic field of fruit classification.

I do feel that Korean pears are one of Korea’s great contributions to the world. I actually think it would work well on a Kobe beef foie gras burger. Then again, it’s Indonesia. What–did they run out of durian?

Joe McPherson is the founding editor of ZenKimchi. He is also dining editor for 10 Magazine and writes and consults for multiple publications. He is the only non-Korean judge for the Korean section of the Miele Guide--but don't ever call him a food critic.