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History of Kimchi |
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 Kimchi
represents Korea's best known food. Koreans serve kimchi at
almost every meal, and few Koreans can last more than a few days
before cravings get the better of them. During the 1988 Summer
Olympic Games, thousands of foreigners were introduced to it for
the first time. Despite a reputation for being spicy, most
people usually develop a taste for it, and many foreigners also
find themselves missing it after returning to their home
country. |
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Origin of Kimchi |
Since human beings began cultivating, they have enjoyed
vegetables, which are rich in vitamins and minerals. However,
the cold winter, when cultivation was practically unavailable,
led naturally to the development of a storage method- pickling.
As a kind of pickled vegetables, kimchi was born in Korea around
the 7th century. |
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Use of Hot Red Pepper Powder |
At the earliest stage, kimchi was just salted vegetable, but
during the 12th century they saw the appearance of a new type of
kimchi with some spices and seasonings, and in the 18th century,
hot red pepper finally became one of the major spices for kimchi.
In particular, thanks to the introduction of Chinese cabbages in
the 19th century, they witnessed the same type of kimchi as we
know it today. |
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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 in Korea whose main industry was agriculture; (2)
Koreans had a remarkable technology of slating fish which was
frequently used as a seasoning; (3) Chinese 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.
-Three Kingdoms Period
The first record found regarding kimchi is during the Three
Kingdoms period (57 B.C. - 668 A.D.). The record is written as
follows: "The Kogureou People are good at making brewing dreg,
malt, bran, and pickling." This implies that fermented food was
widely used in every day lives. However, no writings of this
period mention seasonings or ingredients.
- Kimchi during the Goryeo Kingdom
Though no direct records as to kimchi are found as in the
previous period, cabbages are 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.
- Kimchi in the Joseon Period
It was after foreign vegetables, in particular, Chinese cabbages
(Brassica) were introduced and used as the main material 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 of Kimnchi.
Therefore, it was only during the late Joseon that kimchi became
associated with its red color. |
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Royal Court of Joseon |
Normally three types of kimchi- whole-cabbage kimchi
(jeotgukji), diced-radish kimchi (Kkakdugi) and water kimchi
were served for 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 blended stuffs. Fifth, store them in a pot
and wait till they are fermented.
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if the main materials 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 Joseon Kingdom liked cold noodle in the dongchimi juice
mixed with some beef juice as a winter-night-meal. Hence, they
prepared special water kimchi with pears, which were exclusively
used for the cold noodle. |
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Modern Kimchi |
Kimchi has been scientifically proved to be highly nutritious
and recommended as a future food by many nutritionists at home
and abroad. So the export of kimchi to foreign countries is
rapidly increasing. 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. Especially in America and Japan where relatively
many Koreans live, packed kimchi is easily available. In the
past, the production and consumption of kimchi was confined to
Korean societies, but nowadays it has become a global food. |
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