Kimchi; Being Proud in Cabbages
Kimchi; Being Proud in Cabbages
By Chaeri Park
Once interested in how people view South Korea in other parts of the world, as a proud patriot I used to search up “South Korea travel guidelines” and “South Korea fun facts”. The articles I found usually had a lot of information in common; they usually talked about K-pop or Taekwondo. Of course, I was proud that people were interested enough in Korea to make such articles, but was also disappointed because people didn’t seem to respect the value of Kimchi. I was, in some words, offended because I thought that Kimchi is the best food in the world. There were three criteria in making this decision; taste, health, and tradition, and Kimchi excelled at all of those standards.
First, let’s examine Kimchi’s taste. Described as “spicy”, “salty”, “sour”, or “sweet”, its taste really differs based on the ingredients from which it is made. Let me introduce some famous ones; there is Baechu Kimchi (배추김치), made from salted and rinsed cabbages. For people who cannot stand the spice, there is also Baek Kimchi (백김치), which is instead spiced with milder ingredients like radishes and pears. KKakdugi (깍두기) is also a notable kind of Kimchi for its iconic shape; it’s spiced the similar way with Baechu Kimchi, but is more juicy and chewable thanks to its cubic form. Of course, there are a lot more and differs from region to region, but the thing we should notice here is that a wide variety of tastes are offered, and there are many different recipes available. Also, foreigners have described Kimchi as the following:
“It’s right in the middle, meaning that it’s soft on the outside and crunchy in the inside.”
“Kimchi goes well with meats because it creates a combination in the mouth of a mix of umami and acidic taste which balances well.”
Kimchi is different from other foods not only because of its taste, but also because of its healthy benefits. Because it is fermented like yogurt, it has many healthy bacteria called lactobacilli, and also contains probiotics that could help fight off germs. The garlic in Kimchi contains allicin and selenium which could help lower cholesterol levels. Also, it prevents the chances of a stroke or any other cardiovascular disease. Moreover, a 100-gram serving of kimchi has 18% of the daily value of vitamin A which could help improve your eyesight. Furthermore, Professor Rina Yu of the Food and Nutrition Department at the University of Ulsan found out kimchi causes the immune cells to be more active and the antibodies to be more abundant. Thus, Kimchi is a delicious habit that even helps you become healthier.
Lastly, Kimchi also has a history within it. We could trace its origins back to the Three Kingdoms era, and historical literature such as 정창원고문서 points out that the Goryeo people made foods similar to Kimchi and sent it to Japan. During the Chosun Dynasty, Kimchi was even served to the dead during traditional ceremonies. In the past, Kimchi was more similar to Dongchimi in the status quo, as there were no spices such as peppers, but became the spicy dish we know after 1766 when the Japanese people brought red pepper to Korea. Moreover, the process of making Kimchi itself, 김장, is a Korean tradition and was even designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Koreans, therefore, get to taste not only the delicious sidedish during meals but also get to taste the numerous vitamins contained within it and also get to feel the history inside. Thus Kimchi, the medium that helps us experience all of those things, is worthy of the title “one of the best foods in the world”.
http://www.bibigo.com/en/korean-food-story-kimchi