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| Gimjang season |
In Korea, there is a saying "gimjang (kimchi for
winter use) is half of one's winter provisions." No matter how
sumptuous a banquet may be, a banquet spread without kimchi is
unimaginable. Just like rice, another staple, kimchi is an indispensable
food to all Koreans, rich and poor alike.
Since the Joseon Dynasty, preparing kimchi for the winter
was an enormous domestic event. As many as 100-150 cabbages were
prepared at once. As gimjang season approached, relatives and neighbors
would consult with each other to avoid the overlapping of gimjang days
among different families. In gimjang season, it was customary to help
each other out by lending a hand to one another. However, over time, and
in recent decades in particular, buying ready-made kimchi ceased to be
unusual or odd. There is a book from the old days that mentions that
depending on others for kimchi and jang (soy sauce and bean paste) was embarrassing. In Joseonmussangsinsigyorijebeop
(a cookbook from 1943), it says, "To Koreans, kimchi is next to rice.
No matter how sumptuous a feast may be, it cannot be complete without
kimchi. Our palate is also accustomed to kimchi; it cannot go without
it. It is indeed precious. Among things we ask of others, asking for
jang and kimchi is a huge embarrassment."
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| Ingredients used in kimchi (cabbage, spices, etc.) |
History of kimchi
Kimchi was created after people began farming and producing
grains as a staple of their diets. When vegetables, which couldn't be
preserved, were pickled in salt or mixed with soy sauce, bean paste or
spices, new tastes and aromas were created and storage became possible.
This is none other than kimchi.
The kimchi of the Goryeo Dynasty probably did not
contain salted fish or meat because chili was not available yet.
Although the term "kimchi" was used, it must have been different from
today's kimchi: vegetables sprinkled with salt, mixed with spices such
as garlic and preserved. It would be in the form of dehydrated
vegetables soaked in salty water or placed in ample salty water like dongchimi
(radish watery kimchi). This was given the unique name of chimchae,
which later evolved to become timchae, dimchae, and kimchae, and then
finally "kimchi" as we know it today.
Ingredients of kimchi
Geographically, Korea stretches from south to north, and there is
great variation between the foods of the southern and northern regions.
In the northern region, because of the lower temperatures,
less salt was used and the spices were light and mild, which allowed
the preservation of the freshness of vegetables. On the other hand, the
food of the southern region is saltier. Simply adding a great deal of
salt would not be very palatable, so salted fish was often used or meat
stock was added. In particular, since salted fish was often used,
sufficient garlic, ginger and chili powder were added to offset the
smell of salted fish and to prevent the kimchi from becoming overly
fermented by the salted fish. A paste made of glutinous rice was also
mixed into kimchi to create the thick and rich taste of fermentation. In
the Gyeongnam and Honam areas, salted anchovies are mostly used, while
the central region favors salted croakers and shrimp. On the eastern
coast, hairtail and mackerel are used in kimchi. Therefore, the kimchi
of the northern region is watery, mild and fresh while that of the
southern region has a reddish color, a stronger flavor and almost no
liquid. The cabbage and juice of kimchi made in the central region is
tinted with clear, pinkish red, like a bashful bride.
In spring, summer and fall, kimchi is made with the
vegetables available in each season, such as young radish, young
cabbage, cucumber and leek. Although radish and cabbage are the main
ingredients of kimchi, various other greens and spices such as chili,
scallions, garlic and ginger and salted fish are added. Whole cabbage
kimchi is the most common, universal kimchi today.
Types of kimchi
Kimchi is relatively easily prepared without requiring a long fermentation period. There are a variety of kimchis: nabak-kimchi (water kimchi), oi-sobagi (cucumber kimchi), yeolmu-kimchi (young summer radish kimchi), gat-kimchi (leaf mustard kimchi), pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi), yangbaechu-kimchi (western cabbage kimchi), gul-kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi mixed with oysters), and others.
In order to ensure a supply of vegetables in the cold winter, whole cabbage kimchi, bossam-kimchi (wrapped kimchi), dongchimi (watery radish), godeulppaegi-kimchi (Korean lettuce kimchi) and seokbakji,
which can be preserved for a long period of time, are prepared. In
addition, the ingredients and spices, recipes and preparation time vary
greatly depending on the region, customs, preference and season, and
accordingly, its flavors are tremendously diverse.
Although somewhat less common than regular cabbage
kimchi, one of the main types of kimchi for gimjang was seokbakji. It
was prepared by mixing slices of salted cabbage, radish and cucumber
with salted fish.
In particular, in the royal court, jeotgukji, songsongi
and dongchimi were always placed at the table of a king. Songsongi was
called kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi) by commoners, but lady attendants
in the palace didn't pronounce fortes and spoke softly without opening
their mouths very wide, so they called it songsongi. Jeotgukji is a
watery cabbage kimchi that contains a lot of salted fish.
Among the various types of kimchi, there is jang-kimchi,
which is seasoned not with salt but with soy sauce. Radish and cabbage
is cut into small chunks and pickled in soy sauce. They are then mixed
with various spices, pear, chestnuts, pine nuts, manna lichens and
shiitake mushrooms and ample water is added. This was prepared mostly by
the royal court or wealthy families in the Joseon Dynasty. It was not a
common food due to the luxurious ingredients, but it was served with a
bowl of rice cake soup on New Year's Day or at a formal banquet.
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| Kimchijeon (pan-fried kimchi) |
Well-prepared jang kimchi was a great delicacy as the color and flavor of soy sauce created a perfect harmony.
On a cold winter day, it is a great joy to sit in a
warm room heated by ondol (traditional Korean room) and enjoy a bowl of
dongchimi with crushed ice floating on top. There is a proverb that says
"nobody is willing to offer a piece of rice cake, but you are already
sipping kimchi juice" (similar to "don't count your chickens before they
hatch"). Watery dongchimi is a perfect accompaniment to rice cake.
Although dongchimi is a simple kimchi made of radish fermented in salty
water, various spices, fruits such as pear and citron, leaf mustard and
seaweed are added to enhance its flavor and smell. In order to prepare
dongchimi, small and nicely-shaped radishes must first be selected.
Then, their stems are removed and the radishes are carefully washed.
After salting them evenly by rolling the radishes in salt, they are
neatly placed in a jar and stored overnight. The white part and roots of
a green onion and ginger and garlic are sliced thinly and combined in a
small sack before placing it in the jar. Then, salted water is poured
into the jar and fermented chili is added. It is ready to eat after
about ten days. When pear, citron, seaweed or leaf mustard is added, it
smells better and tastes particularly refreshing.
Koreans don't just eat kimchi on its own; there are also
various dishes that can be prepared with kimchi, such as kimchi-jjigae
(kimchi stew) and pan-fried kimchi. Kimchi stew,
made of overly fermented kimchi and pork, and kimchi pancakes, which is
made by mixing slices of kimchi with a flour dough and pan-frying it,
have also become major dishes of Korea.
As a naturally fermented food, kimchi is rich in
vitamins and minerals. Supplementary ingredients such as garlic, ginger
and chili also provide various nutrients. Kimchi also has a high dietary
fiber content and stimulates the bowels. It also helps lower sugar and
cholesterol levels in the human body. Kimchi is a healthy food that
helps promote the body's physiological functions and that can prevent
geriatric diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
Recently, many Asians in Japan and Taiwan have been
enjoying Korean kimchi. We all hope kimchi, which is a good
representative of Korea's profound culture and is highly nutritious,
will continue to spread around the world.
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