An Ode To Kimchi

Ah Kimchi, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.....

Since looking into coming to Korea, it had been obvious to us that one of the things the people are most proud of is Kimchi. Let's begin with a little bit of information taken from a few websites such as Wikpedia, and then I'll follow it with some delicious pictures of the bowl I'm currently munching through.

Kimchi is a product that is fermented through lactic acid production at low temperatures to ensure proper ripening and preservation. It is processed with a seasoning mixture mainly consisting of red pepper powder, garlic, ginger, green onion and radish. Kimchi has been cited by Health Magazine as one of the world's five "healthiest foods", with the claim that it is rich in vitamins, aids digestion, and may even prevent cancer. The health properties of kimchi are due to a variety of different factors. Kimchi is usually made with cabbage, onions, and garlic, all of which have well-known health benefits. Kimchi also has active and beneficial bacterial cultures, like yogurt. Lastly, kimchi contains liberal quantities of hot pepper, which has been suggested to have health benefits as well. While Kimchi is generally identified internationally as Chinese cabbage fermented with a mixture of red pepper, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal (anchovy base broth, in baechu kimchi), several different types of kimchi exist, including several regional and seasonal variations. The Kimchi Field Museum in Seoul has documented 187 varieties of kimchi, known historically or currently.

Our first taste of this little treasure was on the plane, and it sucked ass. In hindsight, I don't think it was particularly bad Kimchi, but the extremely strong and odd taste was just not what we were expecting, and it was a huge disappointment. Now, I can't believe I shunned the Kimchi and gobbled the ill-fated squid. Since then, we have grown to love this strange pickled cabbage, which is a good thing, as you get it free with every meal. And it's fantastically spicy, a fine substitute for my old favourite jalapeno peppers. It must be laced with crack or something as we both just can't stop eating it. Here's what it looks like, not too appealing is it haha! Anyway I'm off to scoff it all, funnily enough we pick up chopsticks before we go for a fork now and we've only been here a bloody month!

(THERE'S ANOTHER NEW POST BELOW THIS THAT IS PROBABLY MORE INTERESTING THAN ONE ALL ABOUT CABBAGE....ENJOY!!)