The history of kimchi in China
As early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, there was a poem in the Book of Songs Xiaoya Xinnanshan, which read "Nakata has a cottage, and there is a melon on the battlefield, which is the emperor's ancestor who is stripped and sacrificed". Lu and melon are vegetables, and "peeling" and "fermented glutinous rice" mean pickling processing.
In The Book of Songs, There are bitter leaves, there is "I have a purpose to save, but also to protect against winter". "Purpose to save" is delicious savings, that is, pickled sauerkraut and kimchi. This shows that at least 3 100 years ago, during the Wu Ding period of Shang Dynasty, working people in China were able to pickle vegetables and fruits with salt, and the world's earliest embryonic form of kimchi-pickled vegetables appeared.
Pickled vegetables are also recorded in Zhou Li, Mencius and Chu Ci in the pre-Qin period. In 1058 BC, Zhou Gongji of the Western Zhou Dynasty in China wrote a famous book "Zhou Li", which was divided into six chapters: Tianguan, Diguan, Shouguan, Xiaguan, Secret Guan and Dongguan. According to "Zhou Li Tian Guan", it is recorded that "the soup is not five flavors, and the soup is salted". The so-called soup is made of meat or pickles, which can further confirm the history of kimchi.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Jia Sixie, a famous agricultural scientist in China, systematically introduced the processing methods of pickled vegetables in Qi Min Yao Shu, the Method of Making Braised Vegetables and Lettuce No.88, which is a relatively standardized written record of kimchi making, such as the method of melon, salted rice, Tibetan fern, single rice and rice.
Its special statement on making kimchi is: "When collecting vegetables, choose the good ones and bundle them." "Make salt water, make it extremely salty, and wash vegetables in salt water, that is, in the inner jar." "If you wash it with fresh water first, it will rot." "Wash the vegetables with salt water, clear them, and pour them into the urn, so that there is no food to stop, and they will not be reconciled."
It can be seen that China has a history of making kimchi at least 1400 years ago. It has been recorded here that "the mud head is cooked in seven days", and "the mud head" is to seal the mouth of the container with mud. It can be seen that anaerobic fermentation (beneficial to lactic acid bacteria fermentation) was already known at that time.
Geography of the Tang Dynasty records "tribute to summer garlic, winter bamboo shoots and bad melons in Xingyuan Prefecture". The so-called "bad melon" is the current bad pickled vegetables, such as today's "bad cucumber strips" and other pickles. In the Song Dynasty, Meng Yuanlao recorded "Dream of Tokyo" such as "ginger radish, raw pickled papaya" and other "submerged vegetables". The poet Lu You's "Garden of Vegetables" contains the poem "mustard can be fermented, and celery can be soup", all of which contain records of kimchi.
kimchi
The so-called kimchi in Korea does not need to be soaked in liquid, but all kinds of auxiliary materials are crushed, kneaded on the main material, pickled and fermented, and then produced at one time, so the pickling period is long, and the surface of the finished product is covered with auxiliary materials and sundries. The climate of South Korea is similar to that of northern China. Due to the influence of the climate and the limitation of the variety of products, the production purpose is seasonal storage. It is the same as the principle of pickles and pickles in northern China, but it is different in the selection of auxiliary materials.
"Kimchi", as its name implies, is a dish soaked in liquid. What we call "Korean kimchi" at present does not need to be soaked in liquid. According to its pickling method, it should belong to pickles accurately. It's the same as China kimchi, except that it needs fermentation. In fact, pickled vegetables, pickles, pickled vegetables, pickled peppers, etc. in China also have corresponding fermentation processes, but the degree of fermentation and the proportion of components formed by bacteria are different because of the different auxiliary materials used, fermentation procedures and environment, so the finished products have different performances, but they can't be called pickles. Real kimchi should be soaked and fermented in liquid from beginning to end, which is the correct definition of kimchi. From the above analysis, we can see that the so-called "kimchi" is just a fermented pickle, and the correct name should be "Korean pickle".
Efficacy and function of pickles
Pickle refers to salted fermented vegetables, which will produce lactic acid during fermentation, which can stimulate digestive glands to secrete digestive juice, thus promoting food digestion and absorption. Most pickles taste sweet and sour, refreshing, and can stimulate appetite. Besides, raw garlic, ginger, pepper and other ingredients in kimchi can not only sterilize, but also promote body metabolism and promote perspiration. Kimchi is low in calories and contains dietary fiber which can accelerate intestinal peristalsis and prevent constipation.