Frequently asked questions

You could say kimchi is probably the most important side dish (banchan) in Korea. A meal is not complete without it : ) Kimchi is made up of salted and fermented vegetables seasoned with spices and often fermented seafood. Most people think of the baechu (napa cabbage) kind, but there are loads of different ways to make kimchi. Historically, Koreans started kimchi-ing as a way to preserve vegetables to survive . Kimjang is the tradition of when families and neighborhoods would get together to make very large batches of kimchi to last them through the deep harsh winters. Recipes were then passed down generation to generation. They would make it during the late fall and store it in large fermentation jars (jangtok/onggi) underground to make sure fermentation was slow and long.