I don’t know about you, but I think there are wonderful food pairings that would never go wrong. Hamburgers with pickles, chicken with coleslaw, bratwurst or just plain hotdogs with sauerkraut (yum!), sushi with pickled ginger, our own rice with Kimchi (Kimchee)!

Kimchi (or kimchee) is loaded with vitamins A, B, and C, but its biggest benefit may be in its “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli, found in fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt. This good bacteria helps with digestion, plus it seems to help stop and even prevent yeast infections, according to a recent study. And more good news: Some studies show fermented cabbage has compounds that may prevent the growth of cancer. Source:Health.com

If you are here that means you know what I’m talking about. Just the thought of freshly cooked steam rice with Kimchi on the top just makes Kimchi lovers’ mouth water.

But what is Kimchi anyway?

There are many kinds of Kimchi. But mainly, Kimchi is made of vegetables like Napa cabbage, cucumber, and radish, flavored with hot pepper, garlic, scallions, ginger, and fish sauce. Kimchi is ready for serving when it is fermented, but there are non-fermented Kimchis as well. I will talk about them later on.

Since Kimchi is considered an essential part of Korean dinner table, it is the representative of Korean cuisine.

Kimchi wasn’t very red and hot from the start. Kimchi originated around 700 AD simply as pickled vegetables and Kimchi we commonly know today, the red spicy one, emerged only after 1600 AD.

Also, you may have tried only the Napa cabbage Kimchi, but there are so many different kinds of Kimchi. ‘Kimchi’ just describes the process of making fermented vegetables and not only the fermented Napa cabbage. The possibilities are limitless. Just about any kind of vegetables can be made into Kimchi and not every Kimchi is RED! We will look further into different kinds of Kimchi in the future.

Why eat Kimchi?

Besides the wonderful taste that hooks people to want some more, it’s healthy! According to Health.com Kimchi is one of the top five of “World’s Healthiest foods,” for being packed with vitamins, aid digestion, and even may prevent cancer. Furthermore, in July 5, 2001 Codex approved Korean Kimchi based on their international food standard. So it’s healthy and safe to buy or make your own Kimchi.

Kimchi Recipes:
Traditional Whole Napa Cabbage Kimchi
Quick 'n Easy version Kimchi
Non Spicy American Cabbage Kimchi
Kimchi Fried Rice
Young Radish Water (YeoulMoo Mul) Kimchi
White Non-Spicy Kimchi

Kimchi Facts:

Different Tastes of Kimchi
Korean Homemade Kimchi Part I-Most Popular
Homemade Kimchi vs Store Bought Kimchi

Popularity: unranked

Written on August 15, 2008 |