- 'Toowoomba Pasta' is currently exploding across South Korea
- READ MORE: The tiny hole-in-a-wall kitchen serving Sydney's best pasta
A humble Aussie city is the namesake of a hugely popular pasta dish that has taken South Korea by storm.
'Toowoomba Pasta' is the signature sell-out pasta dish from US diner Outback Steakhouse in its 110 locations across South Korea.
The creamy, seafood fettucine concoction has been such a hit with South Koreans that copycat versions of the dish have been appearing on local menus and TikTok.
'Obsessed' fans can't get enough of the rich umami packed sauce that comes with prawns, mushroom, parmesan, cream, soy sauce and a hit of garlic and Korean chilli for 25,900 KRW - or about $29 AUD.
And the pasta is proving so popular that pre-packaged versions are even popping up at convenience stores across South Korea.
The 'random' dish, which was Aussie-inspired, has now made its way back to Australia with local foodies across TikTok whipping up their own versions to see what all the fuss is about.
Queensland dietitian and food creative Andrea Love was intrigued after first hearing about Toowoomba Pasta and was keen to try it for herself home.
'This is definitely a fun dish with an interesting backstory - which is what drew me to recreating it in the first place,' she told FEMAIL.
Toowoomba Pasta is the signature pasta dish on Outback Steakhouses' South Korean menu, it comes with fettucine smothered in mushrooms, prawn and cream
Toowoomba in inalnd QLD was the surprising inspiration for the name of a pasta that South Koreans can't get enough of
The popular pasta has exploded across South Korea with many restaurants and cafes offering their own copycat versions of the Aussie inspired dish
'So good! Highly recommend, Gochugaru and soy sauce in a creamy pasta works surprisingly well,' she said.
But some Aussie fans couldn't get their heads around the craze.
'I live in Toowoomba and was freaked out when I saw Toowoomba Pasta on the menu in a K drama, you learn something new everyday,' one woman said.
'A Korean twist on an American idea of how Australians eat Italian food,' another added.
Others were scratching their heads over why the seafood pasta dish took its name from an inland city faraway from the coast.
Andrea Love is a dietician and food creative who couldn't wait to try the dish after hearing about its curious backstory
Toowoomba Pasta is even available as a packaged meal in convenience stores across South Korea
'An American chain that has a seafood dish named after an Australian town that is nearly 200 kilometres away from the nearest coastline, sold in Korea,' one baffled Aussie said.
While others just took exception to Outback Steakhouse - an American chain - capitalising on Aussie culture.
'Outback Steakhouse is the most un-Australian thing to ever exist,' one man said.
One Australian who had tried the popular meal 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 meal.
Few people who have actually sampled the pasta aren't complaining.
'So good, I'm obsessed,' one fan said.
'It's amazing,' another agreed.
Italians are yet to share their reaction.
