Food Around the World: Kimchi
In our “Food Around the World” series this winter, we've been traveling the planet to look at how food is connected to the culture and history of various regions and countries. We’ve been to West Africa to learn about Jollof rice, we’ve explored matcha tea in Japan and we’ve listened to stories about the significance of maize within Native American cultures across the southwestern United States. This series of classes is designed to give participants a chance to explore new cultures they may be unfamiliar with and to become more mindful about how and why the food we eat is available to us today.
Recently, we packed our virtual suitcase and headed to South Korea, part of the East Asian peninsula that contains one of the most militarized borders in the world. We started by exploring a bit of Korean history, learning about the division between North Korea and South Korea, and looking at pictures of Korean neighborhoods, restaurants, and schools. We explored aspects of modern Korean culture like “K-pop” or Korean pop music. Familiarizing ourselves with the culture is always an important part of our virtual travel, but our true reason for visiting is to learn about kimchi.
Kimchi is arguably the most important food in Korea. The salted, fermented vegetable dish is served at every meal in Korea, including breakfast. Lactic acid produced by bacteria during fermentation not only gives the dish life but also creates a tangy, pungent flavor similar to that of sauerkraut. Chef Ji Hye Kim, the owner of Miss Kim Korean restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan, says that kimchi is "like a zombie. Not quite alive and not quite dead.” Kimchi certainly is teeming with life! Kimchi is generally fermented by wild cultures that are naturally present in the vegetables used, which can include cabbage, cucumber, daikon radish, or carrot. The fermentation process also helps to make kimchi ridiculously healthy, containing loads of probiotics that help our digestive and immune systems.
The history of kimchi dates back more than 3,000 years ago when Korean people began fermenting vegetables in large onggi or earthenware vessels. The onggi was packed with salted vegetables and placed underground to prevent freezing. The kimchi made then likely wasn’t quite as tasty as what you’ll find today, since the spices used now like “gochugaru” made from ground chili peppers had not yet made their way to Korea from Central America. But while it may not have tasted quite as good, the dish was immediately critical to the survival of the Korean people. Fermented underground and naturally preserved, the dish was a lifeline for Koreans trying to survive harsh, long winters when many died of starvation.
Today there are hundreds of different types of kimchi, including some that are not as spicy that are given to young children. It is eaten with noodles, rice, eggs, soup, and on its own. Thanks in part to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Kimchi can be found in grocery stores across the United States. It can also be made by hand, a process that involves brining the vegetables in salt and spices and fermenting them for days to even months (Chef Ji Hye Kim said the oldest kimchi she’s eaten was three years old).
A virtual class on the history of food is a fabulous way to learn about the history and culture of new places. The biggest disappointment is that we can’t taste the kimchi we’re learning about! However, several participants went out to find kimchi at their local grocery store the next day to give it a try…the next best thing to traveling there in person. We’ll continue our travels this winter as we explore the history and culture behind foods around the world.
