Kimchee: Not Just Another Pickle

It is impossible to exaggerate the role of Kimchee in Korea. It is not just a BahnChahn - a side dish. It is THE bahn chahn. Everybody in Korea eats kimchee with every meal, and in every household there is at least two kinds, often more. There is probably not another single food category consumed so consistently anywhere else in the world.

At last count, there were over 300 kinds of kimchee. The main, basic kimchee is made from Chinese cabbage. Cabbage is halved, salted for a few hours, washed, drained, then stuffed with julienned radish, fresh and dried chilli, garlic and ginger. Everything - water content, quality of ingredients, salting, washing, the right mix of fillings, and fermentation time (2–3 days in warm weather, longer in cold) - contributes to the result.

Recently, aged kimchee - matured in the cold for over one year - has become a notable speciality.

Kimchee's versatility is central to its role: it appears in soups, braised dishes, stir-fries and rice dishes. Next time you visit, ask for a different kimchee, or try a kimchee rice or hot pot.