The story behind the signature menu item, Strawberry Shiru, from Seongsimdang, a bakery symbolizing Daejeon, has been revealed.
In the first part of the SBS cultural program ‘SBS Special - THE Bread’ aired on the 11th, the show explored ‘bread’ as a trend beyond just food, providing a variety of delights. The program maximized audiovisual elements to present a sensory visual style typical of a ‘food documentary,’ garnering positive reviews from viewers.
Actress Jang Nara, who served as the presenter, became a ‘bakery owner’ and showcased her baking skills by baking bread herself. She led the discussion by expressing her curiosity about bread, and the first part of ‘THE Bread’ recorded a momentary viewer rating of 2.24%. (Nielsen Korea, based on the metropolitan area)
The broadcast introduced the stories of ‘bagels, salt bread, and shiru cake’ that quickly sold out at popular bakeries from various perspectives. The representative of Daejeon’s bakery, Lim Young-jin, who has not appeared on many broadcasts, and the CBO of a bagel brand known for long waiting times, Ryu, made appearances, drawing attention.
Representative Lim Young-jin revealed, “The original name of the cake ‘Shiru’ was ‘Strawberry Chocolate Cake,’ but after changing the name to ‘Shiru’ at my wife’s suggestion, it started selling like hotcakes,” sharing the behind-the-scenes story of the cake that sells over a thousand pieces a day. Additionally, the under-packaging gained word-of-mouth popularity and received positive feedback from consumers.
Ryu, who planned an exotic concept bagel brand, stated, “I wanted to create bagels with a bumpy texture like hand-made noodles,” revealing the secret to shaping bagels. “People say it’s a unique brand, but it’s just me fully expressing my taste,” he said, introducing his home, the place where he draws the most inspiration, on the show.
Meanwhile, department stores experienced a spectacle due to bread, as the ‘famous bakery pop-up’ increased the influx of young customers, and bread sales began to impact the overall sales of the department stores, leading to the establishment of specialized bread and dessert sections. The daily lives of bakery MDs in department stores became reminiscent of a war, with scenes of MDs going to salt farms to attract ‘salt bread’ pop-ups depicted.
Food content director Kim Hye-jun, nicknamed the ‘Bread Fairy,’ introduced the characteristics of the bread trend currently popular in Korea. “Unlike the past, where comprehensive bakeries were common, there has been an increase in bakeries specializing in single items, and when one type of bread becomes popular, various variations emerge,” she explained, introducing a bagel reinterpreted in a Korean style with Chef Oh Se-deuk. She guided Chef Oh to a bagel specialty store where customers can choose from a variety of options like side dishes, and the two praised the distinctive ‘Kimchi Bagel.’
Additionally, the show featured a group traveling from Seoul to Daejeon on the first KTX train to obtain a ‘special cake’ sold in limited quantities each day. The scenes of these individuals bustling about to participate in the so-called ‘bakery open run’ evoked admiration.
A big data expert stated, “The reason people wait hours to eat bread is that enjoying the unique bread and special space there has become a culture in itself,” and shared an interesting result that the keyword ‘comfort’ emerged when analyzing related words for bread. Behind the ‘bread craze’ lies the psychology of people seeking comfort through sweet bread.
Meanwhile, the second part of ‘THE Bread,’ titled ‘Signature,’ airing on the 18th, will tell the story of bakers in Korea who were once overshadowed by franchises but now capture customers’ attention with their unique signature breads. In particular, the ‘tiki-taka bread story’ between master baker Kim Young-mo and young bakers is expected to provide a unique entertainment experience.
Viewers will also witness the tense atmosphere of the ‘baguette competition,’ where bakers from across the country compete with just one baguette, and the behind-the-scenes story of the ‘Daejeon Bread Festival,’ where 140,000 people gathered to taste the signature breads from over 80 bakeries nationwide.
Notably, there is a signature bread that has sold about 100 million pieces over 43 years at one bakery. What could this unique signature bread, infused with the baker's spirit, look like? As presenter Jang Nara transformed into a ‘bakery owner,’ the second part of ‘THE Bread’ will also reveal the recipe for the ‘Jang Nara-style signature cake’ from the land of the rabbits.
‘SBS Special - THE Bread’ Part 2, Signature Edition, will air on Tuesday, February 18, at 10:20 PM.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
