China's mala sauce breaks culinary boundaries in Korea

Mala is hooking Korean palates on a growing scale across the domestic food industry. The tongue-numbingly spicy seasoning that was a traditional local favorite in China's Sichuan province has become a popular ingredient for dishes beyond authentic Chinese cuisine, spreading to Korean and Western dishes in dine-in and takeout scenes. Since its introduction to Korea in the early 2010s, the popularity of mala among Korean consumers began to grow more widespread in 2018 and has been on a consistent rise since. At Google Trends, online searches for “malatang" (mala-based hot pot) this month jumped 350 percent from 2022, while "mala rose" (a mixture between mala and creamy sauce) jumped 250 percent during the same period. Korean's frenzy over mala has been evident in the country's dine-in landscape as well. Tanghuo Kungfu, the largest malatang franchise restaurant brand here, last year posted sales of 25.5 billion won ($19 million), nearly tripling from 2022. Chunli Malatang enjoyed a sales increase of 134 percent from 2023, while Lahongbang saw a 32 percent rise from the previous year. This