Kimchi

This article is about a Korean dish. For the Jewish grammarian of the 12th century, see David ben Joseph Kimchi

(CC) Photo: Yun-seon Hong
Cabbage kimchi served along with other Korean side dishes (banchan).

Kimchi (김치), also transliterated as "kimchee", is actually a family of Korean vegetable-based pickles. They are a basic part of Korean cuisine, with many variants, although usually strongly flavored, featuring garlic and hot peppers. Kimchi is a key ingredient for Korean dishes such as kimchi stew and kimchi pancake and is often eaten by Koreans with ramen noodles and gimbap rolls. The side dish is generally considered very healthy due to its lactic acid bacterias, antioxidants, and high fiber content. Although it is widely accepted that the advantages of eating kimchi include improved digestion and bowel function, other benefits, such as increased immunity and reduced chance of cancer, are disputed due to contradicting studies or lack of concrete evidence. In 2008, the Health Magazine listed kimchi as one of the five healthiest foods in the world.

History

The kimchi has its roots in the salted vegetables that were preserved as a source of food during the winter months. This practice existed in China and Korea some 3,000 years ago, and its method would be later transferred to Japan by the Koreans from Baekje. Accordingly it is theorized that the Koreans originally called the dish, chimchae, meaning "the salting of vegetable." The name underwent several phonetic changes over the centuries, to timchae, dimchae, jimchi, and finally kimchi. The first historical record to mention kimchi was the Records of Three Kingdoms compiled by the Goryeo Dynasty scholars.

"Summer kimchi" is made from leaves and cores of the cabbage family, while "winter kimchi" is based on white radishes of the daikon family.