Gimchi

Gimchi, also spelled kimchi or Gimchee, is a traditional Korean fermented dish made of seasoned vegetables.

Gimchi is the most common Korean banchan eaten with rice along with other banchan dishes. Gimchi is also a common ingredient and cooked with other ingredients to make dishes such as gimchi stew (gimchi jjigae) and gimchi fried rice (gimchi bokkeumbap). Moreover, because it is both flavorful and healthy, the world-wide appeal and popularity of gimchi continues to grow.

History

Jars used for storing gimchi

Current style gimchi with chili peppers

The history of gimchi traces back to ancient times. References to gimchi can be found as early as 2600-3000 years ago. The first text-written evidence of its existence can be found in the first Chinese poetry book, ShiKyung. In this book, gimchi was referred as “Ji”, the term used before it was known as “Chimchae”.

The earliest form of gimchi consisted of only salted vegetables. It was in the 12th century when people began to include other spices to create different flavors, such as sweet and sour savor, and colors of gimchi, such as white and orange.

It is also interesting to note that chili peppers, now a standard ingredient in gimchi, were unknown in Korea until the early 17th century. Chili peppers originated from the New World and were introduced to East Asia by western traders. This particular kind of gimchi made with chili peppers and baechu (bakchoi), a variety of Chinese cabbage, gained popularily in the 19th century and this baechu gimchi continues to be the most common and popular form of gimchi today.

Composition

Gimchi's composition can be separated into the main vegetable ingredient and the mix of seasonings used to flavor the gimchi. While the most popular type of gimchi is the napa cabbage variety, countless different types exist, including regional and seasonal varieties. Popular variants include kkakdugi (깍두기) which is a gimchi made with cubed radishes, and oh-ee so-bae-gi (오이소배기) which is a stuffed cucumber gimchi. Kkaennip (깻잎) gimchi features layers of perilla leaves marinated in soy sauce and other spices. The Kimchi Field Museum in Seoul has documented 187 historic and current varieties of gimchi. Although the most common seasonings include brine, garlic, scallions and ground chili pepper, countless varieties of seasoning and ingredients can be replaced or added depending on the type of gimchi being made. Common seasonings also include ginger, onions, salted fish or shellfish as well as fruit or fresh seafood.

Gimchi is not necessarily spicy or red. White kimchi (baekkimchi) is seasoned without the chili pepper grind and is neither red in color nor spicy. White radish kimchi (dongchimi) is another example of a popular kimchi that is not spicy. A popular dish of cold noodles in "donchimi" brine (dongchimi gooksu) is eaten widely during the summer months.

Kimchi varieties

Kimchi can be categorized either by regions or seasons. Korea's northern and southern sections have a considerable temperature difference. Northern regions tend to have longer winters compared to the southern regions of Korea. Kimchi from the northern parts of Korea tend to have less salt as well as less red peppers and usually do not have brined seafood for seasoning. Northern kimchi often has a watery consistency. Unlike northern styles, kimchi in the southern parts of Korea, such as Jeollado and Kyeongsangdo, uses salt, chili peppers and salted fish liberally. Depending upon the season of the year, the various weather conditions, and ingredients available in the region, different varieties of kimchi are produced.

By regions

(The entire section's reference)

• Hamgyeongdo (Upper Northeast)

Due to its proximity to the ocean, people in this particular region use fresh fish and oysters to season their kimchi.

• Hwanghaedo (MidWest)

The taste of kimchi in Hwanghaedo can be best described as "moderate" — not bland but not overly spicy. Most kimchi from this region has less color since red pepper flakes are not used. The typical kimchi for Hwanghaedo is called pumpkin kimchi (bundi).

• Gyeonggido (Lower Midwest of Hwanghaedo)

People use a wide variety of vegetables and seasonings to make kimchi. Gyeonggido kimchi is also well known for its eye-catching decorations.

• Chungcheongdo (Between Gyeonggido and Jeollado)

Instead of using fermented fish, people in the region rely on salt and fermentation to make savory kimchi. Chungcheongdo is known for the greatest varieties of kimchi.

• Gangwondo (MidEast)

Compared to other regions, it is very typical in Gangwondo to store kimchi for longer periods of time. Unlike other coastal regions in Korea, kimchi in this area does not contain much salted fish.

• Jeollado (Lower Southwest)

People use different types of fermented fish, such as salted yellow corvine and salted butterfish to create different seasonings for kimchi.

• Gyeongsangdo (Lower Southeast)

This region is famous for salty and spicy flavors in its dishes and their kimchi is no exception. The most common seasoning components are salted anchovies and salt, which produce a briny and savory flavor.

By Season

(The entire section's reference)

• Spring

Traditionally, after a long period of consuming kimjang kimchi (winter kimchi) during the winter, fresh potherbs and vegetables were popular for making kimchi. These kinds of kimchi were not fermented or even stored for long periods of time but were freshly consumed.

• Summer

Young summer radishes and cucumbers are popular summer vegetables made into kimchi, yeolmu kimchi, in summer are made with whole summer radishes that are eaten in several bites. Brined fish or shellfish can be added and freshly ground dried chili peppers are often used.

• Autumn

Baechu kimchi is the most common type of kimchi in the fall. It is prepared by inserting blended stuffing materials, called sok(literally meaning inside), between layers of salted leaves of uncut, whole cabbage. The ingredients of sok can vary, depending on the different regions and weather conditions. Generally, beachukimchi tends to have a strong salty flavor because it contains a large amount of fermented fish or shellfish.

• Winter

Traditionally, the greatest varieties of kimchi were available during the winter. In preparation for the long winter months, many types of kimchi were prepared in early winter and stored in the ground in large kimchi pots. These days, kimchi refrigerators offering precise temperature controls are used to store winter kimchi. It is often November or December when people begin to make kimchi and women often gather together in each others' homes to help with winter kimchi preparations. White kimchi (baek kimchi), is a common and popular kimchi to make during the wintertime. "Baechu" is made with salted cabbage filled with thin strips of radish, parsley, pine nuts, pears, chestnuts, shredded red pepper, manna lichen, garlic, and ginger.

Health effects

Kimchi Jigae(Stew). A popular stew made with kimchi, it is commonly cooked with kimchi, fresh vegetables and pork or tuna although countless variants exist.

Kimchi has been cited by Health Magazine as one of the world’s five “healthiest foods,” for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and perhaps even preventing cancer.

Since kimchi is made of various vegetables, it contains a high concentration of dietary fibers, while being low in calories. It also provides 80% of the daily required amount of ascorbic acid and carotene. Most types of kimchi contain common ingredients like onions, garlic and peppers all of which have well-known health benefits. The vegetables being made into kimchi also contributes to the overall nutritional value. Kimchi is rich in vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium and iron and also has active and beneficial bacterial cultures of Lactobacilli which results in a higher lactic acid content in the final product than in yoghurt.

Trivia

• Most Koreans store kimchi in a separate refrigerator that is designed to keep kimchi at an optimal temperature for proper fermentation.[1]

• When taking photographs, South Koreans often say the word "kimchi" the same way English speakers would use the word "cheese".[2]

• The South Korean Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) are hoping to have the first Korean in space to experiment with kimchi while aboard the Russian-manned space ship Soyuz. KARI has developed a space-safe kimchi recipe by sterilizing the food with radiation blasts, heat, freezing and packaging.[3]

See also

Wikibooks Cookbook has an article on

Kimchi

• Korean cuisine
• List of Korea-related topics
• List of English words of Korean origin
• Sauerkraut
• Fermentation

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Kimchi

• Korean traditional kimchi
• Korea National Tourism Organization's Kimchi page
• Kimchi Field Museum, Seoul
• Korea Food Research Institute