What is Kimchi?

Kimchi is a vegetable dish, most often presented as a side dish in any Korean meal. Kimchi is made by fermenting cabbage. Napa cabbage is generally the main ingredient, and the dish is usually fermented in brine with garlic, scallions, and ground pepper. It is usually finished with a hot chili sauce.

Kimchi is the most common Korean banchan (side dish) eaten with rice along with other banchan dishes.

After fermenting for a period of time at an appropriate temperature in a sealed container, the mixture of ingredients is turned into a nutritious food which is rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fiber. If you have ever made sauerkraut (or have seen it being made), the similarity is unmistakable. Unfortunately, foods with such distinct flavors have lost favor in today’s fast-food, superbland factory food.

This cookbook, Nourishing Traditions, offers an amazing history of food preservation and fermentation as well as recipes you can try in your own kitchen. It is well worth the read, and a simple perusal of the contents will stimulate your interest in natural ways to preserve food, which is what our ancestors used in the days before BHT and BHA.

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