Kimchi
• As in the case with a bibimpbap, kimchi is a food representative of the ‘combination’
culture. Garlic, ginger, scallion, ground pepper and other seasonings are added to
vegetables to make kimchi. Then jeotgal, fermented anchovy or shrimp, is added to
make a completely different food than what it started as. The dictionary definition of
kimchi is “a side dish prepared by mixing salt and seasonings with vegetables, such
as radish, cabbage or cucumber, which is eaten after proper aging process.” Hence, a
variety of kimchi can be made depending on the region, the season of the year or
the different style of making it. There are about 200 different types of kimchi known
today. However, the kimchi made most often at home are baechu (cabbage) kimchi,
kkagdugi (diced radish kimchi), chonggak kimchi (ponytailed radish kimchi) and mu
kimchi (radish kimchi).
• From kimchi, ‘gimjang’ culture, unique to Korea, developed. Gimjang is to prepare
kimchi in the autumn in a quantity large enough to last the whole winter. In ordinary
times one would marinate enough kimchi to last two weeks or so, however it is very
difficult to cultivate the vegetables that go into kimchi such as cabbage or radish in
wither. Consequently, during the wintertime Koreans, all at once, prepare enough
kimchi to last about three months from the end of November to the end of February
• Storage was a paramount factor once the gimjang was done. To maintain slow aging
so that kimchi could be consumed throughout the winter, Koreans packed kimchi in
an earthen jar and kept it on an elevated platform in the back yard or dug a hole in
the ground and buried it so that the cover was just above the ground level. Kimchi
was taken out in amounts appropriate for consumption. In the pre-refrigerator era,
this was the way to keep kimchi fresh. Aging it slowly, or at least maintaining it at a
constant state kept the taste relatively unchanged.