A humble Australian town lends its name to a very popular pasta dish that has conquered South Korea.
‘Toowoomba Pasta’ is the signature pasta dish of the American restaurant Outback Steakhouse in its 110 branches in South Korea.
This creamy seafood fettuccine mash-up has been such a hit with South Koreans that copycat versions of the dish have appeared on local menus and TikTok.
Fans of ‘Obsessed’ can’t get enough of the rich, umami-packed sauce that comes with shrimp, mushrooms, parmesan, cream, soy sauce and a hint of garlic and Korean chili for 25,900 KRW, or about $29 AUD.
And the paste is proving so popular that packaged versions are even popping up in convenience stores across South Korea.
The “random” dish, which was inspired by Australia, has now returned to Australia and local food lovers on TikTok are cooking up their own versions to see what all the fuss is about.
Queensland Dietitian and Food Creative Andrea Love I was intrigued when I first heard about Toowoomba Pasta and was eager to try it at home.
“This is definitely a fun dish with an interesting backstory, which is what led me to recreate it in the first place,” she told FEMAIL.
Toowoomba Pasta is the signature pasta dish on Outback Steakhouses’ South Korean menu. It’s served with fettuccine topped with mushrooms, shrimp and cream.
Toowoomba in the Queensland outback was the surprising inspiration for the name of a pasta that South Koreans can’t get enough of
The popular pasta has spread throughout South Korea, with many restaurants and cafes offering their own copycat versions of the Australian-inspired dish.
“So delicious! Highly recommended. The gochugaru and soy sauce in a creamy paste work surprisingly well,” she said.
But some Australian fans couldn’t comprehend such madness.
“I live in Toowoomba and I was really freaked out when I saw Toowoomba Pasta on the menu in a K-drama. You learn something new every day,” one woman said.
“A Korean version of the American idea of how Australians eat Italian food,” another added.
Others wondered why the seafood pasta dish took its name from an inland town, far from the coast.
Andrea Love is a dietitian and food creative who couldn’t wait to try the dish after hearing its curious story.
Toowoomba pasta is even available as a packaged food in convenience stores across South Korea.
“An American chain offering a seafood dish named after an Australian town nearly 200 kilometres from the nearest coast and sold in Korea,” said one bewildered Australian.
While others simply objected to Outback Steakhouse, an American chain, taking advantage of Australian culture.
“Outback Steakhouse is the least Australian thing ever,” one man said.
An Australian who had tried the popular food in Seoul spoke to the Korean manager about the unusually named dish.
The manager told him that most Koreans had no idea where Toowoomba was located and thought it was just a random name for the delicious main dish.
Few people who have tried pasta don’t complain.
“It’s so good I’m obsessed,” said one fan.
“It’s incredible,” another agreed.
The Italians have not yet shared their reaction.