SOUTH KOREA: Michelin-starred restaurant fined $10,900 over unusual dessert topping

International

FOR almost four years, three to five ants were sprinkled onto certain desserts at a Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant — until food safety authorities took notice.

The owner of Evett, a two Michelin-starred restaurant in the South Korean capital, was fined 15 million won (£8,144; $10,965), while the company operating the restaurant was ordered to pay an additional 10 million won for violating the Food Sanitation Act, according to local media reports.

The case emerged after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety discovered online reviews of the restaurant accompanied by photographs showing dishes garnished with ants.

Authorities said the ants had been used on certain sorbets over a period of nearly four years.

According to a BBC report, the owner said they were added to give the desserts a “sour taste”, with the ministry estimating that approximately 49,000 ants had been used as garnish.

Ants are not among the 10 insect species approved for human consumption in South Korea. The permitted list includes grasshoppers, locusts and some types of silkworm.

Most of the ants used by Evett were imported from the US, while others came from Thailand, according to the ministry.

The restaurant owner said they had been unaware that serving ants was prohibited in South Korea, as the insects are eaten as food in other parts of the world.

The owner also argued that ants were used in only a “small part” of the restaurant’s 15-course menu and that diners were given the option of choosing an alternative topping.

Prosecutors had sought a one-year prison sentence for the owner, along with a 20 million won fine. The judge instead imposed a 15 million won fine, taking into account the owner’s admission of the charge and lack of a prior criminal record, according to reports.

The court also considered the results of tests carried out on the ants. Heavy metals exceeding permitted standards were detected in the insects, with the judge reportedly saying that the “culpability is not light”.

Ants are consumed in several Asian, African and Latin American cultures and are considered a delicacy in some places. Weaver ants and their eggs are used in Thai and Cambodian cuisine, while queen ants are highly valued as a food in Colombia.

The Michelin Guide awards two stars to restaurants it considers to offer “excellent cooking” and which are “worth a detour”.(MyTVCebu)