{"id":125,"date":"2023-02-20T12:56:05","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T17:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/?p=125"},"modified":"2023-02-21T17:56:37","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T22:56:37","slug":"get-happy-together-with-kimchi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/2023\/02\/20\/get-happy-together-with-kimchi\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Happy Together with Kimchi"},"content":{"rendered":"

My memories of Kimchi<\/em><\/p>\n

One of my favourite childhood memories is the scene where all the neighbours and kids got together to make Kimchi. Dozens of mothers, fathers, and seniors gathered in the yard of the largest house in town. Koreans call this event Kimjang, which takes place in the middle of November every year. It was the most important time for preparing a huge amount of Kimchi to eat for the following year. In this traditional event, seniors taught the younger generation how to make Kimchi more delicious. After Kimjang, there was a big party with all the families and neighbours enjoying homemade Kimchi and cooked pork. It was my favourite moment to eat the fresh Kimchi with the hot boiled pork, which tasted fantastic. Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi, was one of the best opportunities for showcasing Korean identity and promoting family cooperation. Hence, UNESCO listed it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Preparation

Preparing for Kimjang, making mass Kimchi and sharing (Image by flickr)<\/p><\/div>\n

The history of Kimchi<\/em><\/p>\n

Kimchi is made from vegetables, typically napa cabbage or radishes, mixed with various seasonings, such as red chilli powder, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce. The history of Kimchi dates back over 2,000 years in Korea. The earliest form of Kimchi was called “jeotgal,” which was a salted and fermented seafood dish made from shellfish and fish. Vegetables were not added to Kimchi until around the 7th century when chilli peppers were introduced to Korea from the Americas. At this time, Kimchi began to take on the spicy and tangy flavour known today. Salt is the most critical ingredient for Kimchi because brining the cabbages is the first and most crucial part of Kimjang. Korean ancestors literally prepared a whole year for Kimjang. In spring, households secured shrimp, anchovy, and other seafood for salting and fermenting. In the meantime, they prepared to plant cabbage seeds for Kimchi in late spring so that they could harvest in the fall. In summer, they bought sea salt to brine the cabbages, and in late summer, they dried chilli peppers on the ground and ground them into powder. Finally, in late fall, as mentioned above, the Kimjang season began so that every family had enough kimchi to last through the long and harsh winter.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"There

There are more than three hundred kinds of Kimchi                          (Image by legasu on pixabay)<\/p><\/div>\n

Why is Kimchi such a healthy food?<\/em><\/p>\n

There are more than three hundred kinds of Kimchi based on the major materials used, and they are all rich sources of vitamins A and C, iron, and minerals. As a fermented food, Kimchi contains abundant probiotics, which promote digestive health and boost the immune system. Additionally, Kimchi is a low-calorie food with high fibre, making it a good choice for those looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy diet. During the pandemic, there were claims that Kimchi could protect people from Covid-19. However, these claims were not scientifically proven. Nonetheless, researchers have found that some countries where fermented vegetables are consumed regularly have lower death rates from Covid-19.<\/p>\n

\"8

8 favourite Kimchi brands from across America (Image by pinterest)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What will Kimchi\u2019s future look like?<\/em><\/p>\n

One trend that may shape the future of Kimchi is the growing interest in plant-based diets and fermented foods. As people become more health-conscious, they may turn to kimchi as a probiotic-rich and plant-based food option. Additionally, as Korean cuisine gains popularity worldwide, Kimchi is likely to be among the dishes that will be more widely known and appreciated. There are many different kinds of dishes that use Kimchi, such as kimchi-jjigae (stew), Kimchi fried rice, Kimchi-buchimgae (pancake), Kimchi-mandu (dumplings), Kimchi-bibimbap (mixed rice), and more. Furthermore, new products that non-Korean consumers can enjoy, such as Kimchi sauce and Kimchi powder, are being released. Some restaurants even serve pasta, risotto, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs with Kimchi. Although it has been many years since I left Korea, I can easily find Kimchi products in Asian groceries and even at Costco. However, I still miss the taste of the Kimchi my mom made. At the same time, I  am very excited to find new ways to enjoy Kimchi in the future here in Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My memories of Kimchi One of my favourite childhood memories is the scene where all the neighbours and kids got together to make Kimchi. Dozens of mothers, fathers, and seniors gathered in the yard of the largest house in town. Koreans call this event Kimjang, which takes place in the middle of November every year. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[23,21,22],"class_list":["post-125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-published","tag-fermented-food","tag-kimchi","tag-korean-cuisine"],"splot_meta":{"author":"Kyoung A Kim","license":"by","footer":"Jang, D. ja, Chung, K. rhan, & Yang, H. jeong. (2015). Discussion on the Origin of Kimchi, Representative of Korean Unique Fermented Vegetables. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 2(3), 126\u2013136. Davies, B. (2022, November 14). What Is Kimchi? Ultimate Guide to the Korean Cuisine Staple. Cozymeal. https:\/\/www.cozymeal.com\/magazine\/kimchi Fauzia, M. (2020, September 2). Fact Check: More Studies Needed to Examine Link between Fermented Foods, COVID-19. USA TODAY. https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/factcheck\/2020\/09\/01\/fact-check-studies-needed-link-between-fermented-foods-covid-19\/5525719002\/ Republic of Korea. (2013). Kimjang, Making and Sharing Kimchi in the Republic of Korea. UNESCO. https:\/\/ich.unesco.org\/en\/RL\/kimjang-making-and-sharing-kimchi-in-the-republic-of-korea-00881"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125\/revisions\/140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/foodhistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}