Kimchi: Korea's pride side dish

Kimchi is a popular side dish that is filled with flavour and nutrients, and it can be enjoyed with almost any meal. It is sometimes referred to as Korea's pride and the world's healthiest food. Kimchi is a mix of fermented vegetables such as salted Napa/Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, radish onions topped with red pepper flakes. Though it is commonly used as a side dish, kimchi can be added to noodles, rice or pancake to create new dishes. The spicy pickled cabbage can be consumed during breakfast, lunch and dinner. It can also be eaten alone with rice (Scalise, 2019)

The history of kimchi can date back all the way to 910 AD. It was first created with dried cabbages and salt, and slowly garlic and fish paste was added. It was more well known to be eaten during the winter, because it was the only way Koreans received their nutrients. They seeked nutrients from the vegetables they preserved, or pickled. Evolving from being a simple dish made from radishes and cabbage preserved in salt and soy sauce, kimchi has gone through many changes much like technology. The red colour on the kimchi we see now comes from when Japan invaded Korea. Koreans managed to get a hold of the red chili peppers that the Japanese seemed to disliked, and it was then added to the ingredients for making kimchi. Since then, kimchi has always had a deep red colour to it due to the introduction of the red chili pepper.

Though making kimchi seems to be a hard process, it can be quiet easy as long as you thoroughly follow the process. The main point to remember when making kimchi is that it is the process of fermenting the vegetables. Another point is that the ingredients all have to be equally ratioed. Having too much will cause the kimchi to not ferment properly but having not enough will cause the vegetable to rot. When you first begin making your kimchi, you have to choose whether you want to use a Chinese cabbage, Napa cabbage or radishes. You then soak the vegetable you have decided in water, after you have thoroughly spread salt into it. You then let it sit for three to five hours, depending on the weather. You then have to make sure that the cabbage is thoroughly rinsed before you add the red pepper paste, garlic, ginger and any seafood you would like to add. Then, you put the kimchi into a jar or bottle where it will ferment at room temperature. Fermenting the kimchi may take a few days, usually about 2 days, before it is ready to be eaten. For a more sour flavour, you would leave your kimchi to sit for longer. Some tips for knowing if your kimchi is ready would be it's taste, appearance and texture. Assuming you have tasted kimchi before, if the one you have made has a bad taste, it usually mean that bacteria has grown on the kimchi making it not edible. Another tip would be seeing if the kimchi is mushy or not. Mushy vegetables usually mean that the kimchi has gone bad due to leaving it to ferment for too long in room temperatures. A balance between room and cold temperatures should be given.

Now, there are more than 300 variations of kimchi within all the provinces in Korea. Each province specializes and creates their kimchi differently. Rather than going through all the different types of kimchi, this will go through the 5 most common ones types of kimchi that is served in most restaurants. First, there is whole cabbage kimchi or baechu kimchi. This is the type that is typically served during meals and it is the most popular type of kimchi. With the cabbage, it is divided into four sections and the crowns of the cabbage are cut off. It is the soaked in salt for about four hours, or until they have softened. The other ingredients to be put into the kimchi is mixed while it is softening, and once it is finished you mix it all into one. In order for it to be served, the whole cabbage is cut into bite sized pieces and for more flavour it can be mixed again. The next type of kimchi is ggakdugi kimchi, which translates to chopped radish cubes. It is made out of white radishes which is cut into little cubes and mixed with the same ingredients you would use to make whole cabbage kimchi. The crunchy kimchi Is then topped off with red-pepper chili powder to darken the colour. The next type of kimchi is the green water kimchi, which Is typically served during the summer. The main ingredient for this dish would be the "summer" radishes, which is then mixed with green chili peppers, red chili peppers and garlic. Water and kimchi sauce is added to the radishes and is combined with someone (white noodles). The fourth type of kimchi is nabak kimchi, meaning red water kimchi. Much like the green water kimchi, this is another water based kimchi using small radishes. Cabbage, green inions and red chili peppers are added. Though the appearance looks spicy, it is usually served mild and can be enjoyed year round. Lastly would be chonggak kimchi, or whole radish kimchi. It is created with salted and fermented young radishes, and rather than being cut up it is used as a whole. The ingredients used would be garlic, ginger and spicy red pepper. The name chonggak comes from an old fashion hairstyle in which the kimchi looks like (A Complete Guide to Kimchi, n.d.).

Not only does kimchi add a splash of flavour to meals, it also provides a few health benefits. According to scientists, it was found that those eating at least 210 grams of kimchi per day say a giant reduction in their cholesterol levels and blood glucose levels. Even those eating as little as 15 grams per day saw a few effects of eating kimchi. Next, kimchi helps boost your immune system. It's been found that kimchi is a major antioxidant booster, which allows the body to maintain it's shape during sickness and it can also help fight disease. If you ever find yourself feeling sick, consume some kimchi to help yourself get better! That being said, kimchi is antibacterial because of the ingredients used such as garlic and chili peppers. Though it was a study based on mice, it was found that eating kimchi can be linked to improving memory and skill learning. It helps boost the cognitive function in the brain (Laurence, 2018).

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