An exhibition titled "Fine Dining: Food Stories of Ancient China" opened on Tuesday at the Hungarian Museum of Ethnography in Budapest, providing visitors from all walks of life with a fascinating journey through China's ancient culinary traditions.
The exhibition, co-hosted with the National Museum of China, runs until Jan 19, 2025, showcasing ancient Chinese cooking tools, dining utensils, and intricate artworks that illustrate the complexity and diversity of China's rich food culture which spans millennia.
Among the 90 pieces of artifacts on display, many are making their debut in Europe.
Deputy Secretary of State Csaba Gabor, representing Hungary's Ministry of Culture and Innovation, highlighted the importance of the highly anticipated exhibition for cultural exchange between Hungary and China at the event, expressing a desire to further strengthen bilateral exchange in various fields.
"This exhibition, which we are in the process of opening today, is one of those major milestones that brings these two nations closer to each other. Certainly, one might remember that this is the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic relationship. And this is a year when we have a lot of to celebrate because this relationship has been based on mutual understanding and respect. This relationship has seen a continuous rise over the past decades and has produced spectacular results. Not only in cultural exchange, which is very important, but certainly we see a lot of good things happening in business, in science and other fields of relations between the two nations," said Gabor.
Exhibition in Budapest explores ancient China's culinary secrets
Exhibition in Budapest explores ancient China's culinary secrets
Cabbage prices are soaring in South Korea amid poor autumn harvests and a short supply in the market, which have imposed an additional burden on people's livelihoods.
Cabbage is a key ingredient of kimchi, the country's famed fiery fermented dish which many South Koreans eat every day.
Due to the blistering summer heat and prolonged drought, cabbage grown in many parts of the country, including the main producing area Gangwon-do, suffered poor growth, rotten roots and diseases, resulting in a significant drop in output.
In the second week of this month, cabbage shipment for the largest wholesale market of farm products in the country's capital Seoul fell over 30 percent compared with the previous week. As a result, the average wholesale price of 10 kilograms of cabbage jumped 86 percent year on year to about 17.01 U.S. dollars.
"Although some cabbage hasn't fully matured, many farmers harvest them in advance when the cabbage prices are high in the market. This leads to a sharp decline in shipment from cabbage producing areas. Therefore, the vegetable's prices will remain high in the short term," said a staff member with the wholesale market.
Data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation showed on Tuesday that the average retail price of a head of cabbage is about about 6.47 U.S. dollars, an increase of more than 30 percent from the previous year.
The high prices have dissuaded many customers despite their wish to use them to make kimchi.
"The cabbage prices are so high that I can't make kimchi now. I'll reconsider it when the price drops," said a customer.
The country has increased cabbage imports from its neighbor China to alleviate short supply in the market.
Data from the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs showed on Tuesday that since the end of last month, South Korea has imported 48 tons of cabbage from China, with another 54 tons to arrive via the Pyeongtaek port on Thursday.
The total cabbage imports are expected to reach 1,100 tons by the end of this month.
Poor harvest, short supply fuel cabbage price surge in South Korea
