Korean kimchi culture has a deep trace of Confucian culture in China. The word "Qu" appeared in China's Book of Songs, which was interpreted as sauerkraut in China's dictionary, and it was this pickled sauerkraut that was introduced to South Korea. Kimchi has gone through several important stages. Korean kimchi originated in Dawan Town, Jiangbei County, Chongqing (now Yubei District, Chongqing). Xue, a general of the Tang Dynasty, was sent by the imperial court to Korea (present-day Korea) and settled in Korea (present-day Korea).
Many of his entourage are from Jiangbei County, Chongqing, and they will make kimchi in their hometown. Since then, Chongqing kimchi has entered Korea. After several wars in Korea, this dish has entered Korean civilian families. It is mainly made of bracken, bamboo shoots, Adenophora adenophora, eggplant, cucumber, radish with salt, rice porridge, vinegar, distiller's grains and sauce. In the Koryo era, the cultivation techniques of vegetables were improved. Fresh vegetables such as kimchi, celery and bamboo shoots were added to kimchi, and sauerkraut soup was produced after being salted with salt water and served with soup.
In the Korean era, the production methods of kimchi began to be rich and the raw materials were more diverse. Because Korea is surrounded by the sea on three sides and is rich in aquatic products, various seafood such as fish, shrimp and crab are added to kimchi. By the end of the Korean era, due to a large number of cultivation, cabbage had become the main raw material more commonly used than radish, cucumber and eggplant. At this time, the introduction of pepper revolutionized the production of kimchi.
Pepper is considered as an excellent condiment for making kimchi, because it can remove the fishy smell produced by fish when making kimchi, and make it colorful and appetizing, thus replacing the traditional method of pickling with salt from China.
Pickle culture
For Koreans, kimchi is not only a side dish, but also a manifestation of strength and culture. There are many fairs, exhibitions and seminars on kimchi in Korea. The biggest one was "Love Pickles" held in Seoul in June 2005 for low-income families and social welfare institutions, with 6,000 volunteers participating and using 40,000 cabbages at a time.
There are many ways to eat kimchi, including eating it directly, baking it, and making soup with aged kimchi. The "Sanjin" canteen in Myeongdong, Seoul is a famous specialty store in Korea, which is famous for eating pork belly wrapped in kimchi. The canteen wraps pork belly with pickles, ferments in a jar for about a week, and then takes it out to cook.
In many traditional families in South Korea, the original marinade of a jar of kimchi can even be passed down for nine generations: great-grandmother passed it on to grandmother, grandmother passed it on to mother, mother passed it on to daughter-in-law, and then passed it on ... So the real kimchi is called "family ties pickled with maternal love", and the longer it takes, the stronger the taste, so that Koreans call the good taste of kimchi "mother's taste". Perhaps out of love and gratitude for mother, Koreans call kimchi a "filial product".
Kimchi has gone far beyond a table dish in the daily life of Koreans, but has been sublimated into a unique tradition and culture, becoming an indispensable part of Korean life.
Koreans like kimchi for another reason. Korean temperament is quite like kimchi-very spicy, even a little violent; It's cool. Do things quickly. Because of this, the kimchi complex hidden in the hearts of Koreans will probably never disappear.