"Instead of Steamed Dishes, Please Give Steak or Grilling Cuts"... Changing Trends in Seollal Hanwoo Gifts

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] This Lunar New Year, refrigerated Korean beef (Hanwoo) that stimulates the palate with steak and special cuts sets instead of galbijjim and sagol is gaining popularity.

On the 19th, Emart analyzed cumulative sales of 2020 Lunar New Year gift sets from December 5 last year to January 9 this year and found a sharp increase in demand for refrigerated Hanwoo. In fact, the ratio of frozen to refrigerated Hanwoo gift sets has narrowed from 70:30 in 2012 to 64:36 in 2015, and currently 54:46 in 2020.

The refrigerated Hanwoo gift sets, ordered about 12% more than last Lunar New Year, have already been more than 70% sold out. Major products include the 'Hanwoo Migak Set' and 'Peacock Hoengseong Livestock Cooperative Hanwoo 1++ Grade Grilling Set No. 1,' which were also sold out during last Chuseok.

Hanwoo galbi, traditionally associated with holiday meals, is gradually declining in demand due to the hassle of braised dishes and the burden of housework on women. On the other hand, grilling and steak cuts that can be simply cooked as is have emerged as the main players.

The success of these refrigerated sets is partly due to advances in packaging and aging technology. The 'Migak Set,' composed of special cuts, is a representative example. Since special cuts close to the internal organs are very sensitive to freshness, the recent popularization of vacuum packaging has made it possible to offer these highly popular special cuts. In the case of the 'Wet Aging' set, it undergoes more than 15 days of wet aging in the meat center's own aging room, not an external aging warehouse, allowing the presentation of more tender and flavorful aged Hanwoo under optimal conditions.

Moon Ju-seok, head of Emart's livestock team, said, "Preferences for Hanwoo sets are changing significantly in line with the holiday atmosphere that increasingly pursues simplicity," adding, "We hope everyone enjoys a rich holiday with benefits such as a 10% discount when purchasing with event cards."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.