손Sohn-Made Kimchi김치
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.
Depending on the specific variety of kimchi, they offer a whole slew of potential benefits: improve your appetite, boost your stamina and immune system, prevent aging, clear skin, support blood pressure, clean out your blood, cools your body when hot, prevents constipation, aid in digestion, and prevent certain diseases/cancers.
As long as you keep it refrigerated, kimchi can last for many months or even up to a year. Jung-a's suggests eating Jung-a's kimchi within 6 months; but as each batch is different you can see how long yours will last, maybe shorter, maybe longer. A lot depends on how often you open your jar, how long you let the jar sit out, at what temperature are you keeping your kimchi in etc. Other factors include salt concentration, what's in it, the quality of ingredients and more. Jung-a likes to challenge herself by seeing how long she can let the jar sit (not only does she like to edge on the edge of discomfort, she also has this secret not so secret desire to make it last as long as possible; she swears making kimchi not about making the longest lasting kimchi ever...or is it?). The high acidity from the lactic acid bacteria lowers the pH of kimchi and therefore makes it last a long time (an environment bad bacteria can’t survive in.) As kimchi gets older, it grows stronger and more pungent. At this time, it's really best to have in soups and stews. Usually, by the time kimchi gets mushy, you don't want to eat it anymore.
Traditionally, kimchi is made with jeotal, fermented seafood. Not only does it support the fermentation process, but often it makes the kimchi more flavor-full. Jung-a's uses saeu-jeot, salted fermented shrimp, as well as fish sauce and a dashi (kelp-anchovy stock) that uses dried shiitakes, dried anchovies and dried kelp. However, that isn’t to say you can’t take out the seafood. One of the beautiful things about kimchi is that you can adapt it to your wants and needs. Jung-a's hopes to meet various preferences and needs; so from time to time she'll offer a vegetarian kimchi.
Kimchi (that relies on wild Lactic Acid Bacteria fermentation) is alive and therefore continuously changing. A lot of it is about preference - some people prefer it fresh and not very fermented, while others enjoy the sourness and funkiness of an older ferment. There are so many regional and seasonal varieties of kimchi. You just have to find what you like and don't like.
It’s a very real thing. Kimchi is messy. Sometimes it’s due to the jar exploding a little bit. That’s from all the CO2 building up from the active Lactic Acid Bacteria munching on all the sugars. Not every jar will pop and spill everywhere. The little bubbles and sizzle are a sign your kimchi is alive! In any case, you want to make sure to refrigerate your jar to keep fermentation moving at a slower rate. As warmer temperatures speed up fermentation, kimchi probably won’t taste very good if you leave it out too long.