What is kimchi?



Kimchi is an absolute necessity in every Korean meal. It is a kind of food that combines the savor, nutrients and preservability in one environmentally-sound food, which Koreans are proud of. It is the food of foods in Korean culture.

In every culture there are unique ways of cooking and preserving foods. But when it comes to preserving vegetables, kimchi would be by far the best way in the world. Korea has very distinguished seasons, and vegetables have consisted the better part of Korean food. This has led to such many ways of cooking and preserving vegetables. Winter in Korea lasts for three or four months, which means they had to survive until spring with only what they harvested in fall. In order to have a supply of almost, if not entirely, fresh vegetables during winter, Korean people have developed a very effective way of preserving them: kimchi. Preservability is not the only area where kimchi is superb. There are the unique flavors, too.

Kimchi can be made of one or more kinds of vegetables including radish, Chinese cabbage and cucumber by salting the vegetables with salt, and seasoning with assorted items like chili, garlic, scallion, ginger, and fish juice. After fermenting for a period of time at an appropriate temperature in a sealed container, the mixture of ingredients is turned into a nutritious food which is abundant in vitamins, minerals and fiber. And while kimchi is going through the fermentation, helpful pysiological substances like lactic acid are produced.


[ Prev | Next | Up | Home ]
Infomecca(C)
1995~1996
web@www.Infomecca.co.kr