Kimchi. The beautiful and delicious food, that’s most popularly known as one of the main foods on the Korean plate. Whether you have eaten Kimchi, you still would have heard of the fantastical food that represents the Korean culture and dish. Kimchi - the vibrant, tangy, and beautifully seasoned dish - is far more than just a staple on the Korean template. It has captured the imagination and taste buds worldwide, from being a symbol of Korean identity to a culinary ambassador for Korean culture. If you haven’t tasted Kimchi, you’ve still likely heard of this beloved food that combines flavors of spicy, sour, and umami in one bite. Now, together let’s dive further into Kimchi and its significance in Korean culture.
Kimchi was first created over 3000 years ago, as the tradition known as “Kimjang” started as a way to ferment and store vegetables during the severely cold winters, where at the time many Koreans died from starvation, due to being unable to grow crops and foods in the winter. The first recorded writing about Kimchi, came from the Goryeo period, Because of the trade between various kingdoms, the looks of Kimchi changed a lot. The original kimchi was made from radishes, but over 100 years, kimchi managed to change and get spices, which is the basic look of Kimchi. During the Three Kingdoms Period, kimchi further developed through the improvement of fermentation techniques and the use of many types of vegetables and flavors. Another innovative technique starting in this period was storing kimchi in different types of jars and fermentation underground to maintain the right temperature and humidity. By the time of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), trade and cultural exchanges brought in chili peppers from the New World via Japan in the 17th century, a transformation which had brought about spicy, red kimchi-most commonly associated with Korea today.
When you ask people who don't have any knowledge of Kimchi and ask them about Korea, almost everybody would say, Kimchi as Kimchi is one of the most famous Korean foods. Kimchi has a significant significance in Korean culture because Kimchi contains a rich and diverse history of Korea. Kimchi nowadays has various types such as Kakduki, White kimchi, and Buchu kimchi, all delicious and a variety of types of Kimchi each going with its own plate and creating diverse menus such as fried kimchi rice, signifying its importance in the Korean kitchen, as the Korean kitchen menu, and traditional Korean foods all contain kimchi in their plate or creating diverse goods. Kimchi also brings people together and further puts Korea's name into Korea as since Korea is distributed in other places, people would try Kimchi and gain more preference thus making people know more about Korea, and resulting in people exploring Korean culture.
