Kimchi

What is this fragrance of Korea, and where does it come from?

Kimchi, also spelled gimch or kimchee, is a traditional Korean fermented dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings, most commonly referring to the spicy baechu variety. Kimchi is the most common Korean side dish eaten with rice. It is also a common ingredient and cooked with other ingredients to make dishes such as Kimchi stew and Kimchi fried rice. It has a quite long history. And although it has varieties in kinds and methods, a basic method for making Kimchi providing a lot of nutritional value is basically same.

The history of Kimchi can be traced back to ancient times. References to Kimchi can be found as early as 2,600 – 3,000years ago. The first text-written evidence of it existence can be found in the first Chinese poetry book, Sikyeong. In this book, Kimchi was referred to as “Ji”, the term used before it was known as “Dimchae”. The earliest form of Kimchi was made of only cabbage, and it was in the 12th century when people began to include other spices to create different flavors, such as sweet and sour flavors, and colors of Kimchi, such as white and orange. Chili peppers, not a major ingredient in most forms of Kimchi, were known in Korea until the early 17th century.
This particular style of Kimchi with chilli peppers and baechu, a variety of Chinese cabbage, gained popularity in the 19th century.

Kimchi varieties are determined by the main vegetable ingredient and the mix of seasonings used to flavor the kimchi. The most popular type of kimchi is the baechu (a type of Chinese cabbage) variety but there are many regional and seasonal varieties. Popular variants include ggakdugi (hangul: 깍두기) which is a kimchi made with cubed radishes, pa kimchi (made with scallions), and oisobaegi (hangul: 오이 소배기), a cucumber kimchi with hot and spicy seasonings. Ggaennip (hangul: 깻잎) kimchi features layers of perilla leaves marinated in soy sauce and other spices. But, Nothing in the world is easier than making kimchi, yet nothing is more difficult. Even a novice can rinse the vegetables clean, salt them, rinse them again the next day, add garlic, and leave them in a cool place for a day or two to ferment naturally, then eat them just as they are.

Kimchi has a reputation of being a healthy food for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly retarding cancer growth. Kimchi is made of various vegetables and contains a high concentration of dietary fiber, while being low in calories. One serving also provides up to 80% of the daily required amount of vitamin C and carotene. Most types of kimchi contain onions, garlic and peppers all of which are salutary. The vegetables being made into kimchi also contribute to the overall nutritional value. Kimchi is rich in vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium and iron, and contains a number of lactic acid bacteria. In 2000, a novel bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacterium (strain MT-1077T) was isolated from Kimchi and was named Lactobacillus kimchi.

Kimchi, a representative sidedish in Korea, has a 3,000 year old history. Also, Kimchi varies in kinds and methods which are basically same to make. It has a reputation as one of top five “World’s Healthiest Foods” for being rich in vitamins and other nutritional components. For those reasons, nowadays Kimchi is becoming more and more poular in other countries even though it has pecular flavor.