What is kimchi?
Quick answer
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish of salted and fermented vegetables, most commonly napa cabbage and Korean radish, seasoned with chili powder (gochugaru), garlic, ginger, green onion and often fish sauce or salted shrimp. It’s served with almost every Korean meal.
Koreans have made kimchi for well over a thousand years. Early versions were simply salted vegetables; chili peppers arrived only in the 1600s, after traders brought them from the Americas.
How kimchi is made
- Salt the cabbage for several hours to draw out water and soften it.
- Rinse and drain.
- Make a seasoning paste of gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, a little sugar and sometimes rice flour paste.
- Rub the paste between every leaf, adding radish and green onions.
- Pack tightly into jars and leave to ferment: a day or two at room temperature, then slowly in the fridge.
Lactic acid bacteria, the same kind used in yogurt and sauerkraut, turn sugars into acid, giving kimchi its tangy, sour flavor. The longer it ferments, the sourer it gets.
Popular types
| Kimchi | Made with |
|---|---|
| Baechu-kimchi | Napa cabbage, the most common |
| Kkakdugi | Cubed radish |
| Oi-sobagi | Stuffed cucumber |
| Baek-kimchi | “White” kimchi without chili, mild |
| Pa-kimchi | Green onions |
There are hundreds of varieties, which differ by region and season.
Kimjang: making kimchi together
Every late autumn, Korean families and neighbors gather to make large batches of kimchi for the winter, a tradition called kimjang. It was added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. Many Korean homes even have a separate kimchi refrigerator.
How kimchi is eaten
- As a side dish (banchan) with rice
- In kimchi jjigae (stew), kimchi fried rice and kimchi pancakes
- Older, sour kimchi is best for cooking
Kimchi is one of many fermented foods worldwide; Japan’s miso is another. Interested in Korean culture? See the first K-pop act to top the Billboard Hot 100.
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