Kimchi, also spelled kimchee or gimchi, is a popular Korean dish of spicy pickled vegetables. It often includes cabbage and radishes. The dish is highly seasoned with garlic and chili peppers. Kimchi is normally eaten as a side dish.
Preparation.
Styles of kimchi vary by region within Korea and from season to season. Most kimchi preparations involve salting Napa cabbage. The salt draws out the vegetable’s moisture. Alternatively, the cabbage may be soaked in a brine (salt water). Other vegetables are then added, and the mixture is coated in a spicy, flavorful paste. Along with garlic and chili peppers, the paste may include such ingredients as ginger, soy sauce, and a South Asian condiment called fish sauce.
Kimchi develops more complex flavors through fermentation. In fermentation, naturally occurring bacteria grow on the vegetable mixture. Over time, the bacteria produce flavorful acid. As in other pickled products, the combination of salt and acid preserves kimchi by preventing harmful microbes from growing.
History.
Like other pickled foods, kimchi was first developed as a means of storing and preserving vegetables during the winter. Ancient Koreans used a similar technique to salt and preserve fish. Early kimchi did not use chili peppers, because they only grew in the Americas before the 1500’s. Kimchi is considered a national dish in both North and South Korea.
