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Origin of Kimchi
As long as humans have been cultivating, they
have enjoyed the nutritious elements in vegetables.
However, the cold winter months, when cultivation
was practically impossible, led naturally to
the development of a storage method referred
to as 'pickling'. As a form of pickled vegetable,
kimchi was conceived in Korea around the 7th
century. |
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Use of Hot Red Pepper Powder
In
its early stages, kimchi was simply a salted
vegetable. However, during the 12th century
a new type of kimchi with some spices and seasonings
appeared, and in the 18th century, hot red pepper
finally became one of the major spices for kimchi.
In particular, thanks to the introduction of
cabbages in the 19th century, the same type
of kimchi as we know it today was developed. |
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The Origin of the Name, Kimchi
It is suspected that the name kimchi originated
from shimchae (salting of vegetable)
which went through some phonetic changes: shimchae
- dimchae - kimchae - kimchi. |
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Reasons Why Kimchi Was Developed
in Korea
Few fermented vegetable
foods are found worldwide. Some possible reasons
why kimchi was developed as a fermented food
especially in Korea are as follows: (1) vegetables
were popular to the ancient people of Korea
whose main industry was agriculture; (2) Koreans
had remarkable methods for salting fish which
was frequently used as a form of seasoning;
(3) cabbages (brassica) appropriate for making
kimchi were widely grown. |
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Major Historical
Periods of Korea
The development
of kimchi is reportedly rooted in the agrarian
culture that began before the era of the Three
Kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula. Due to the
cold Korean winter, they had to come up with
the storage technology of vegetables as a means
of securing food. |
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Kimchi in Ancient
Times
It is difficult to identify
the process of development of kimchi in ancient
times, as historical records of the times are
barely available. We can only assume that they
simply salted vegetables in order to keep them
as long as possible. |
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Kimchi during the
Goryeo Kingdom
Although there are
records that clearly indicate the root of kimchi's
discovery, cabbage was first mentioned in an
oriental medicine book titled 'Hanyakgugeupbang'.
There were two types of kimchi - jangajji
(sliced radish preserved in soy sauce) and sunmu
sogeumjeori (salted radish). In this period,
kimchi began to receive new attention as a processed
food enjoyable regardless of season as well
as storage food for winter. It is suspected
that the development of seasonings at that time
enabled spicy kimchi to appear. |
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Kimchi in the Joseon
Period
It was after foreign vegetables,
in particular, cabbages (brassica) were introduced
and used as the main ingredient that the current
type of kimchi was formed. Hot red pepper was
imported to Korea from Japan in the early 17th
century (after the Japanese invasion of Korea
in 1592), but it took roughly 200 years until
it was actively used as an ingredient in kimchi.
Therefore, it was only during the late Joseon
period that kimchi became associated with its
red color. |
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Royal Court of Joseon |
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Kimchi in the Royal Court of Joseon
Normally three types of kimchi- whole-cabbage
kimchi (jeotgukji), diced-radish kimchi
(kkakdugi) and water kimchi, were served
to the kings of Joseon. Jeotgukji for a good
deal of pickled fish (e.g. croakers) was added
to the kimchi. A cooking book of Joseon, Joseon
massangsansik yorijebeop, explains how
to make jeotgukji as follows:
First,
cut well-washed cabbages and radishes into small
chunks and salt them. Second, mix them with
chopped hot red pepper, garlic, dropwort (minari),
leaf mustards (gat) and some seaweed.
Third, boil fermented fish in some water and
cool it. Fourth, add it to the above mixture.
Fifth, store it in a pot and wait till it is
fermented.
Even if the main ingredients
of water kimchi (dongchimi) are radish
and water, more garnishes were used to enhance
the taste in the royal court of Joseon. The
radishes used for water kimchi should be of
a wholesome shape. In addition, they should
be washed and salted for a day before being
stored in a jar buried under ground. There is
an anecdote that King Gojong, the second last
king of the Joseon Kingdom, liked cold noodles
in the dongchimi juice mixed with
some beef juice as a winter-night-meal. Hence,
special water kimchi was prepared with pears,
which were exclusively used for the cold noodles. |
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Modern Kimchi
Kimchi has been scientifically proved to be
highly nutritious and has been gaining popularity
both at home and abroad. In fact, kimchi exports
have risen sharply over recent years. Korean
immigrants to China, Russia, Hawaii and Japan
first introduced kimchi abroad, and have continued
to eat kimchi as a side dish. It gradually gained
popularity even among foreigners. Accordingly,
kimchi may be found wherever Koreans live. In
America and Japan especially, where relatively
many Koreans live, packaged kimchi is easily
available. In the past, the production and consumption
of kimchi was confined to Korean societies,
but nowadays it has become a globally recognized
food. |
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Guides
