Kimchi

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Kimchi

This article refers to the traditional Korean dish. For the family of scholars known as Kimchi, Qimchi and Kimhi, see the article on Qimchi.

Kimchi, also known as gimchi or kimchee is a traditional Korean dish of fermented chili peppers and vegetables, usually based on Chinese cabbage. The word's archaic pronunciation was chim-chae (Hangul: 침채; Hanja: 沈菜), meaning "steeped/submerged vegetable". However, since the pronunciation's drastic change, kimchi is no longer associated with its original Hanja (Lee 2000).

In Korea, kimchi is served with most regular meals but is also used as an ingredient in cooking, including kimchi jjigae (kimchi soup), kimchi bokkeumbap (kimchi fried rice), and other dishes.

History

Early forms of kimchi consisted mainly of salted greens, as chili peppers were not available in Korea until introduced by Portuguese traders coming from Japan in the 16th century. Traditionally, it was fermented in pots buried in the ground, to serve as a winter subsistence staple when fresh vegetables were not available.

The Portuguese were the first traders to have spread the chili pepper globally. Portugal's maritime power—rounding the Cape of Good Hope and reaching India in 1498—set a course for the chili pepper to leave South America to Asia through various African ports along the way or directly through the Pacific. By the 1500s, they were regularly exporting chili peppers from Brazil. By 1540, they were trading in Indonesia and soon after, chili peppers made their way to China. In 1549, the Portuguese reached Japan, and from there Korea. In 1564, the chili pepper reached the Philippines and then moved on to Melanesia and Micronesia along a Spanish-developed trade route.

A cookbook from 1670 describes pickled mixtures of wild greens and pickled gourd melons, but makes no reference to the use of chilies. One historical record from the end of the 17th century describes eleven types of kimchi and thus kimchi utilizing red peppers would have been popularized some years after that (200 years, by one estimate) In addition, the introduction of Chinese cabbage probably did not occur until the 19th century [http://www.kimchi.or.kr/eng/about/history.jsp; before that, kimchi was made from indigenous vegetables.

South Korea imports more kimchi than it exports, with most imported kimchi coming from China. In 2005, it was found that a significant percentage of Chinese kimchi was contaminated with parasite eggs. This led to South Korea banning imports of Chinese kimchi. However, several days later, it also became clear that some South Korean kimchi were also contaminated with parasite eggs.

Today, many Chinese and Japanese eat this dish daily. The Japanese version of the Kimchi is called Kimuchi (to fit Japanese phonetics), and is modified to fit the Japanese taste. Kimchi and various other Korean side dishes are served in restaurants in other Asian countries such as Thailand.

Composition

Common ingredients include Chinese cabbage (배추, baechu), radish (무, mu), garlic (마늘, maneul), red pepper (빨간고추, ppalgangochu), spring onion (양파, yangpa), squid (오징어 ojingeo), oyster (굴, gul) or other seafood, ginger (생강, saenggang), salt (소금, sogeum), and sugar (설탕, seoltang). There are variants, including 깍두기, kkakdugi, based on radish and containing no cabbage, and 오이소배기, oisobaegi, stuffed cucumber kimchi. 깻잎, kkaennip kimchi features layers of perilla leaves marinated in soy sauce, peppers, garlic, green onions, and other spices. While Kimchi is generally identified internationally as baechu fermented with a mixture of red pepper, garlic, ginger, and anchovy base broth (젓갈, jeotgal), several different types of kimchi exist, including several regional and seasonal variations. The Kimchi Field Museum in Seoul has documented 187 varieties of kimchi, known historically or currently. Although baechu kimchi is now the most common variety, it was developed relatively recently.

If baechu (Chinese cabbage) is not available or if the original variety is too pungent, kimchi can be made with western cabbage, but this is unusual. The taste of kimchi made in this way tends to be lighter and less piquant.

Lactobacilli are heavily involved in the fermentation of kimchi, which results in a higher lactic acid content in the final product than in yoghurt.

Health

Kimchi has been cited by Health Magazine as one of the world's five "healthiest foods", with the claim that it is rich in vitamins, aids digestion, and may even prevent cancer. The health properties of kimchi are due to a variety of factors. Kimchi is usually made with cabbage, onions, and garlic, all of which have well-known health benefits. Kimchi also has active and beneficial bacterial cultures, like yogurt. Lastly, kimchi contains liberal quantities of hot pepper, which has been suggested to have health benefits as well.

In East Asia, the low number of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases in Korea is sometimes attributed to the Korean habit of eating large quantities of kimchi, although no definitive link between kimchi consumption and SARS resistance has ever been scientifically established ^*. There is some evidence that indicates that kimchi may be used to treat avian influenza in birds. Scientists at Seoul National University say they fed an extract of kimchi to 13 infected chickens - and a week later 11 of them had started recovering. There is currently no evidence of its effects on humans.

What healthful properties kimchi may have are disputed, and the dish has also been linked to negative health effects. In a June 2005 study of gastric cancer risk, South Korean researchers uncovered a 50% higher risk of stomach cancer among heavy consumers of kimchi, and suggested high kimchi consumption may be responsible for the fact that rates of gastric cancer in Korea and Japan are 10 times higher than in the United States. However, talc, an irritant used in white rice in both countries has been posed as a possible alternative cause. ^*" target="_blank" >[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11802218 The very high concentrations of salt in kimchi itself and the fish sauce used for flavoring may also be an issue, as high salt intake can cause problems such as hypertension.

Trivia

In US slang, "kimchi" is occasionally used in the phrase "in deep kimchi," a euphemism for "in deep trouble." This phrase is particularly common in the US military community which has had a presence in South Korea since the Korean War.One example of this use is found in It briefly gained prominence when it was used during the 2000 U.S. presidential campaign.

When taking photographs, South Koreans often say the word "kimchi" in much the same way English-speakers would use the word "cheese".^*

Kimchi juice is often shared between a bride and groom before a wedding.

In the popular online computer game, World of Warcraft, players can purchase "Winter Kimchi" from a vendor in Everlook, a town in Winterspring.

References

Lee, Iksop. (2000). The Korean Language. (transl. Robert Ramsey) Albany, NJ: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0791448312

External links

Korean traditional kimchi
Korea National Tourism Organization's Kimchi page
Kimchi Field Museum, Seoul
"Koreans' Kimchi Adulation, With a Side of Skepticism", The Los Angeles Times, May 21, 2006.

Korean cuisine | Pickles | Fermented foods | Korean terms