Kimchi: The Spice of Korean Life.

I know it has been I while since my last post but life has gotten in the way. Well here is another food blog I hope you like it!

South Korea has burst into the twenty first century and today is a key player in the world economy. But it is not just economic progress that the Koreans are hungry for. Unlike Chinese and Japanese cuisines that have long been popular on the international dining table, Korean food is a relative new comer. Today Korean food and drink is quickly growing globally, whiping up a frenzy in the Asian culinary world.  Korean food is a story of a proud people that have been re-growing a food culture after a harsh twentieth century.  

When you walk into a Korean Restaurant you immediately feel the energy. dining is a central part of Korean life and is rarely done alone.  Its cuisine is a source of national pride and no food is bigger in South Korea then Kimchi. 

Kimchi is omnipresent at every meal. In America it would be like having one dish that takes the place of french fries, cheese, and salad all at the same time. In fact many Korean restaurants are judged souly on there kimchi.  It is great stuff with a strong smell and taste kinda like a spicy sauerkraut. 

When I first arrived in Korea I gave Kimchi a try and thought it was a strictly an acquired taste. It is made of Cabbage soaked in brine and rinsed, then layered with a mix of greens onions, garlic, soy sauce or shellfish sauce, ginger, salt and lots of red pepper flakes which is left to ferment as a pungent red mess. A Korean family's supply of Kimchi was traditionally kept in a big glazed jar and buried in the ground as a preserving stash of of goodness. It has vitamin A, calcium, more vitamin C than an Apple, it breaks down fats in the body, is low in calories, and high in fibre. And it has all kinds of immunizing properties helpful for fighting cancer and heart disease. So I have kept eating it until I thought to myself Hmmm..... that's not bad. Then one day nursing a hangover I discovered the usefulness of this amazing food. I was hurting and fuzzy as I walked to the restaurant, but minuets after eating kimchi's salty, spicy, and full crunchy favor I started to feel better. Hallelujah!!! It's like a bloody mary you can eat with chopsticks. Then before I knew it I was hooked on the stuff.  

There are many different kinds of kimchi depending on the vegetables used and the length of aging.To most Koreans a meal without Kimchi is unthinkable and I am starting to understand there thinking. It is the spice of Korean life and I am getting hooked on the stuff. This has to be a good sign of things to come in Korea! I will find the Seoul of South Korea this year. 

An example of how much Koreans love kimchi? In 2005 a report was released that due to the over consumption of kimchi by the average Korean it could not be completely good for your health…and as a result, the professor who released this statement received a variety of death threats.