Discover the New Butter Rice Cake Series: 3 Must-Try Flavors from 7-Eleven!

Hyundai Department Store is leveling up its foodie offerings by partnering with La Grande Épicerie, the renowned food hall at Paris’s Le Bon Marché, to broaden its global gourmet content.

The companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on March 22 to exchange and develop culinary trends—marking La Grande Épicerie’s first-ever department store partnership in Asia.

The signing took place recently in the VIP meeting room at Le Bon Marché in Paris, with Hyundai Department Store President Jung Ji-young and La Grande Épicerie CEO Jill Rodrique in attendance.

Under the agreement, the partners will develop both online and offline sales channels and collaborate on joint marketing campaigns centered on gourmet content. Hyundai aims to introduce global food-culture trends to Korean shoppers while boosting its food-category competitiveness.

To start, Hyundai will offer roughly 400 food items on its online mall, including about 300 private-label products from La Grande Épicerie—think olive oils, jams and sauces made in collaboration with regional French artisans. The selection will also include local favorites that Korean consumers currently buy only via overseas direct import. Hyundai plans to roll the assortment out to its major department store food halls later on.

“This partnership will open up new gourmet experiences for our customers by creating a bridge for global retail trends between Europe and Asia,” Hyundai Department Store President Jung Ji-young said. “We’ll continue to introduce diverse global collaborations, starting with French culinary culture.”

Convenience store chain 7-Eleven said on March 22 that it will start rolling out a butter-tteok series beginning March 25.

Butter-tteok is a fusion dessert made by adding butter to glutinous rice dough and baking it. The trend—adding butter to the traditional Chinese rice cake nian gao and enjoying it like a Western bakery treat—went viral online. Fans love its crispy exterior, chewy interior and the nutty, slightly salty richness from the butter.

The first offering is the “Sanghae Butter Mochi Ball (2 pieces),” bite-sized rounds that get even better if you microwave them for about 15 seconds to amplify the butter aroma and chewy texture. In early April, 7-Eleven will expand the lineup with an egg tart–shaped “Chewy Butter Mochi” and a higher-butter option called “Butter-Rich Chewy Mochi.” All items in the butter-tteok series will be priced in the 2,000 KRW range (about $1.50), highlighting strong value.

Moon Da-young, dessert MD for 7-Eleven’s ready-meal team, said the chain will keep introducing distinctive desserts that combine great taste, visual appeal and affordability to lead trends.

Nonghyup Distribution, operator of the Nonghyup Hanaro Mart chain, said on March 22 that it has begun selling papaya melons.

Papaya melons are rich in folate and are believed to help with memory and fatigue recovery. They’re a seasonal spring fruit with a soft texture and sweet flavor, making them perfect for desserts.

Since papaya melons are climacteric fruits, they develop a richer sweetness if you let them ripen at room temperature for about 2–3 days. Wrapping them well in newspaper can help preserve them longer.