According to a North Korean news outlet and the propaganda video, Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong II, invented “wheat wraps” in 2011. That’s the same year Kim Jong II suffered a fatal heart attack in addition to there being a food shortage throughout the country.
Despite the above video showing an abundance of the dish and various citizens enjoying their “wheat wraps,” those who have escaped the country claim such dishes are essentially nowhere to be found.
“In the 1990s, bread and butter lovers were satirized and criticized as socialist traitors,” said Hyun-seung Lee, who fled North Korea in 2014. “I have never seen any burritos or wraps on sale in North Korea. Perhaps there were no restaurants where you could eat burritos and wraps until now. The penetration rate of Western food in North Korea is extremely low, because there are very few restaurants where you can eat it and the food ingredients are not diverse. Various cooking ingredients such as milk, cheese, and spices are absolutely lacking.”
North Korea claims Kim Jong Il ‘invented burritos in 2011’ as street food ‘booms’ pic.twitter.com/4BrLlgY5oM
— The Sun (@TheSun) January 4, 2022