The custom of gold medal

Gimjang refers to the Korean custom of pickling kimchi before winter, which has been preserved for hundreds of years. Because South Korea has 3-5 months of winter every year, most vegetables are difficult to cultivate, and pickled kimchi has become the main non-staple food in winter. There is a saying in Korea called "half a pickle". No matter how luxurious the banquet is, kimchi is indispensable on the table. Koreans, rich or poor, live on rice and eat kimchi for three meals a day.

Since the Korean era, every household will use about 100- 150 Chinese cabbage pickled kimchi as winter food before winter. This is the most important housework in a year. Therefore, during the pickling season, neighbors and relatives coordinate with each other to avoid pickling pickles on the same day, and the custom of "salting pickles by job hopping" has always been very popular. But I don't know when it became very common to buy pickles instead of pickling them at home. It was recorded in a book in Korea before that it was very shameful to ask others for kimchi and sauce. North Korea's new cooking law (1943) says, "As far as our nation is concerned, rice is the staple food and kimchi is the non-staple food. No matter how delicious the food is, if there is no kimchi, it always makes people feel that something is missing from the table. Moreover, eating kimchi is addictive. I can't stand not eating kimchi. It is an indispensable part of your diet ... so it is very shameful to ask others for kimchi or sauce. "

History of kimchi

Since humans began to cultivate, produce grains and take rice as their staple food, kimchi has appeared. Vegetables that are difficult to preserve for a long time are pickled with salt, or pickled with sauce, vinegar and seasoning to produce a new fermented taste, which is the origin of kimchi.

According to historical records, in Silla era and Koryo era, pickles were mainly pickled radishes, pickles and pickles with radishes as raw materials. It is estimated that the "kimchi" eaten at that time may not contain fish sauce or meat. Although the word "kimchi" appeared at that time, the production method is different from that of kimchi now. It is speculated that kimchi at that time was only made by putting garlic and other condiments into vegetables sprinkled with salt, removing water from vegetables and soaking vegetables in salt water, or soaking vegetables in salt water like radish pickle soup.

After the mid-Korean period, kimchi with whole cabbage and pepper noodles as the main raw materials began to spread from China to South Korea. At that time, kimchi was called "CHAE kimchi". From then on, the name experienced the pronunciation distortion of' Chim-Chae' →' Tim-Chae' →' Dim-Chae' →' Kim-Chae', and became today's' KIM-CHI'.

The material of kimchi

South Korea has a terrain extending from north to south, so the diet between north and south is very different.

The temperature in the north is low, the salt is less, and the seasoning taste is not heavy, so try to keep the fresh taste of vegetables; In the south, there is more salt and the taste is heavier. If only salt is used for seasoning, the taste is not very good, so fish and shrimp sauce is generally used and broth is occasionally added. If you put too much fish and shrimp sauce, add more garlic, ginger and Chili powder, which can not only remove the fishy smell of the sauce, but also prevent kimchi from rotting. In addition, if glutinous rice is added and stirred, kimchi is easy to ferment and taste. Anchovy sauce is mainly used in Qingnan and Hunan, yellow croaker sauce and shrimp sauce are mostly used in the central region, and saury and mackerel are even used in the eastern coast. In a word, kimchi in the north is watery, light and fresh, while kimchi in the south is bright red, heavy in taste and less juicy. Pickles in the central region are slightly transparent pink.

In spring, summer and autumn, fresh vegetables such as radish, raw cabbage, cucumber and leek are also used to make kimchi. Kimchi is mainly radish and cabbage, supplemented by various vegetables, as well as spices and sauces such as pepper, onion, garlic and ginger. Cabbage kimchi, which is widely eaten at present, is the most common kimchi.

In the past, pickles were put in clay pots and buried underground to promote the fermentation of pickles. Now, it is put in a special container or even a refrigerator to make kimchi in small batches all year round.

Types of pickles

According to the storage time, pickles can be divided into two types. One kind is kimchi which has a short storage time and is easy to make, such as radish slice kimchi, cucumber kimchi, radish kimchi, mustard kimchi, green onion kimchi, cabbage kimchi and radish block kimchi. The other is kimchi that has been stored for a long time, such as cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, wrapped kimchi, bitter kimchi,' seock-pak-ji' and so on. In addition, according to local conditions, customs, preferences and seasons, kimchi has different materials, condiments, production methods and curing periods, and its taste is also different.

For a long time, "kimchi" has been the mainstream of kimchi. Cut pickled radish, cabbage and cucumber into large pieces, add fish and shrimp sauce and stir.

In the palace, the emperor's diet must include three kinds of kimchi: Jeuck-Guck-Ji, Song-Song-Yi and radish pickle soup. In the folk, "Song Song Yi" is called Gakaduji. Because my wife in the palace at that time couldn't scream, her mouth was too small and her voice was not loud. Jeuck-Guck-Ji is a kind of Chinese cabbage pickle with a lot of juice, and a lot of fish sauce will be put in it when pickling.

There are also soy sauce pickles seasoned with soy sauce. This is made by cutting radish and cabbage into large pieces, pickling with soy sauce, adding various seasonings, pears, chestnuts, tremella and mushrooms, and then pouring enough water. During the Korean period, this kind of kimchi was only made in palaces and aristocratic families. Due to the luxury of materials, ordinary people can't make them. But in the first month, it was also served as a dish in a banquet or with rice cake soup. Properly fermented soy sauce kimchi has a harmonious color, fragrance and unique flavor.

Consumption of pickles

Koreans not only eat kimchi directly, but also make soup, pancakes and other dishes with kimchi. Among them, kimchi soup and kimchi pancakes are also very representative foods in the Korean diet. Pickled vegetable soup is made of cooked sauerkraut and pork. Pickled pancakes are made by mixing pickles with kneaded flour and frying them in oil.

Kimchi is a naturally fermented food, which not only contains vitamins and organic matter, but also provides various nutrients contained in seasonings such as garlic, ginger and pepper. At the same time, kimchi contains a lot of fiber, which can strengthen the activity of the stomach and reduce the content of sugar and cholesterol in the body. Therefore, kimchi is a healthy food, which helps to prevent adult diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, and strengthen human physiological functions.

With its unique flavor and rich nutrition, kimchi, together with Korean barbecue and Korean cold noodles, has become a popular world famous dish and is favored by people all over the world.