Korean Food: Kimchi

What goes into a good kimchi? The primary ingredient is cabbage, of course, accompanied by radish, red peppers, lettuce or cucumbers. Regional varieties will include bean sprouts, squash, Korean pear, Korean leeks, pheasant, many kinds of seafood or shellfish, and other vegetables as the maker sees fit. Pickling ingredients often include salted shrimp, cod, or yellow corvina, pickled anchovies and pickled octopus. However, it is the spicing of the vegetables that truly provides the flavor and uniqueness of any given batch. The secrets of kimchi may have passed through the hearts of many generations of family to arrive in today’s kitchen. The combination of red pepper paste, garlic, ginger, salt water, onion, sugar and sesame is crucial to the character of the dish.

Although food preparation techniques have seen changes in the last century, in a traditional Korean house, the fermenting and storage of kimchi will still take place in an earthenware jar stored in a cool, shady place. It is essential to keep the kimchi at a stable temperature to prevent acidification. Yet, it is also important to preserve the fresh quality of the ingredients. Both cooking and refrigeration can destroy the essences of kimchi, so earthenware jars still remain a practical option in many Korean homes today. These jars are a much-prized treasure of Korean history.

Photos by Joe Marino, jmarino_ko@yahoo.com

Kimchi, Thousand Years (5 Stars). The final word on the history of kimchi and one of the most highly polished sites I’ve seen on the web. It includes a social history of kimchi, an in-depth look at its production, a discussion of the cosmology of “the five colors and five flavors,” and more.

Kimchi (5 Stars) This site has a great basic recipe for kimchi as well as links demonstrating kimchi for eight provinces. The images of provincial kimchi and kimchi delicies are very good. You can also find out how to make kimchi burgers, kimchi pizza and kimchi dumplings.

Korean Food Research Institute – About Kimchi (5 Stars). This site contains information about the traditions of kimchi production along with a nutritional analysis and discussion of kimchi storage. The Korean Food Research Institute details the kimchi production industry and discusses the standardization of kimchi production necessary for the international kimchi trade.

Kimchi—The Ultimate Korean Flavor (4 Stars). This is a subsite of the Things Korean website. This has a few images of kimjang (kimchee making).

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