Kielbasa's sudden takeover of domestic sausage market

Packs of Polish sausage kielbasa are piled up on the shelf in a GS25 in Seoul, July 13. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By Kyung Lee

In recent months, kielbasa has overrun shelves across the country. But the long, horseshoe-shaped sausages didn't come from nowhere. Hailing from Poland, these sausages have filled a niche in the local market to be enjoyed by all, not only Europeans.

Local meat supplier S-Food introduced the locally made sausages back in 2006, under its delicatessen and brand, John Cook.

At first they were shaped like regular straight hot dogs, but they took on their signature curve or 'horseshoe shape' in 2015 and were upsized to 270 grams to provide a more satisfying experience for consumers.

From 2017, local customers with a growing appetite for European sausage could buy kielbasa not only through John Cook's delis but also the company's online store as well as in supermarkets and even convenience stores.

In 2018, they started to attract viral exposure from mukbang content creators, and K-pop stars like Ahn Hye-jin, a member of girl group Mamamoo who goes by the stage name Hwasa, also ate the deli meat on MBC's "I Live Alone" reality show.

Now available for purchase at convenience stores like CU and GS25, several Korean customers and a YouTuber have explained how kielbasa has rapidly risen to stardom as the pound-for-pound king of sausages among consumers and on mukbang menus.

"Plump texture and spot-on crunching audio is what makes it unique from other sausages," said Bonggil, a mukbang content creator at Lam Studio.

Having featured kielbasa in many of his binge-eating challenges on YouTube ― served alongside anything from hash browns and instant noodles to Spam ― Bonggil added the Polish meat product and its characteristics serves a mukbang video's purpose of triggering each viewer's five senses while watching.

For most mukbang YouTubers, including Bonggil, it is common practice to add the acronym ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) to their video titles or in hashtags to convey that a meal can be enjoyed by both a broadcaster and their audience through a synesthetic exchange.

"It's not just through our palates that we try to envision and taste what the YouTuber is eating, but also by looking at and hearing the food's texture upon chewing as highlighted by each video," said Noh Yoon-seop, a musician and mukbang viewer. "Even people who are dieting can feel vicariously full when they're 'dining' with a YouTuber."

Following kielbasa's placement on various media channels ― with emphasis on ASMR ― starting in 2018, S-Food's communications team manager Sohn Joo-ra said convenience store chains filed requests for the sausages to be sold on their shelves.

Adding the company's decision to stock convenience stores was a no-brainer, she said: "It was reaffirmed by content creators as a 'horseshoe' sausage and for its texture and juices. Before becoming YouTubers, they were customers, and so they helped give this product and our brand a loyal following."

Bonggil, who started his channel a year and seven months ago, told The Korea Times he doesn't consider himself an expert or influencer of food trends, only that his appetite is more demanding than most others and he likes to delve in and eat what his viewers dine on.

Even before incorporating kielbasa in his videos, he said the sausage was already a popular item to which he could contribute his own opinions through reviews.

Still, as someone who craves not only sausages but everything from simple desserts like chocolate through to foods that are salty or deep-fried ― on and off mukbang platforms ― Bonggil's on screen gorging on sausage ― and other culinary treats ― is swelling his fanbase and helping them decide what to enjoy on their next gastronomical adventure.

"Mukbang videos don't exactly affect what we eat on a daily basis, but they do throw up suggestions when we're grocery shopping," said Oh Se-yeon, a mukbang viewer.

Noh added, "There are a few instances of ordering something right away after watching what the YouTuber is eating. Deciding what to eat for my next meal or when ordering food in late, however, mostly comes from the videos I took to heart."

With kielbasa having left a positive first impression, Noh also said that mukbang creators eating the sausage, along with other food items, provoked the curiosity of viewers who never tried them, having expectations for audiovisual stimuli.

Aside from its reputation as a popular selection in mukbang videos and other dining venues, kielbasa blends well in both Western- and Korean-based diets enjoyed by Koreans.

You can enjoy a sausage on its own, as preferred by Bonggil, but most like it with a little something on the side, perhaps a bowl of rice and kimchi.

And because kielbasa is a long, strong-in-flavor and particularly juicy sausage, according to Noh and Oh ― the two mukbangers are in agreement on this point ― the sausage could definitely satisfy as a main dish, part of a Western brunch, a Korean meal complement and as the classic accompaniment to alcohol.

Kyung Lee is a contributing writer based in Seoul.