Kimchi, the center of Korean food culture                                                      

UFTuaFwHjWvLhfhZXqER.jpgIn Korean food culture, no other food has the importance that kimchi has. For instance, a meal without kimchi is unthinkable, and even if such a thing existed, the meal would not be complete; it would be considered lacking in style and grace.

Rice and kimchi constitute the basic meal for Koreans. The two alone suffice as a meal. Along with soy sauce, soybean paste and red chili pepper paste, kimchi is considered to have the most unique taste representing Korea. As is supported by much research, kimchi has had its place in the history of Korean food for quite a long time, and the methods of making it vary greatly.


Kimchi represents the sentiment of Koreans                                                  

Kimchi also represents the national sentiment of Korea. Even before red chili pepper was introduced, leaf mustard of a violet color, cockscomb and safflower were used to give kimchi a delightful red color. Koreans put a special value on the color red in the belief that the color wards off evil spirits, and the evidence of this tradition can be found in many places. Therefore, we can say that the color red itself represents the spirit of the Korean people and kimchi is more than just a food -- it is a culture. It holds much of the secret of traditional Korean food and also the sentiment of the Korean people.


Various kimchi dishes                                                                                      

There are more than a hundred known kinds of kimchi that exist, but it would be meaningless to figure out how many kinds there actually are, since Korean women have made kimchi with all kinds of edible vegetables, including wild mountain and field herbs and cultivated vegetables. They have even made kimchi with shellfish and seaweed. The kinds of kimchi vary according to the length of the fermentation period as well, some being immediately edible, while others requiring a longer fermentation period.

 

Traditionally, in the long winter of Korea, as long as there was kimchi left in the jar buried in the ground, one did not have to worry about side dishes, because kimchi can be modified in innumerable ways. There are kimchi stews, soups, pancakes, fried rice with kimchi, rice and kimchi rolled in sea laver and so on.


Kimchi gaining international popularity                                                          

Kimchi has been in Korea for a long time, and nowadays it is also gaining popularity around the world. Kimchi is selling well in Japan and many other countries. The worldwide demand for kimchi as a health food as well as a delicacy has increased. At big international events like the Olympics and the World Cup, kimchi is one of the dishes on the menu. Reflecting its fame, kimchi now has its own entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica.