South Korea Gimjang : South Korea  

South Korea Gimjang - Travel guide

South Korea

Gimjang

Gimjang is the age-old Korean practice of preparing winter kimchi, which has been passed down from generation to generation. Since very few vegetables are grown in the three or four winter month, gimjang takes place in early winter and provides what has become a staple food for Koreans. For Koreans, a dinner table without kimchi is unthinkable.

Gimjang is a traditional Korean event in which kimchi is prepared for eomdong (the coldest 3 or 4 months of winter). The main ingredients of gimjang kimchi are Korean cabbage and radish.

Additional ingredients include spicy vegetables such as parsley, mustard leaf, garlic, green onion and ginger.
Pickled fish and powdered red pepper are used to give kimchi its unique flavors. To fully enjoy its flavor, it is very important to prevent kimchi from turning sour. Kimchi contains vitamins A, C and a number of lactic acids, which are produced as kimchi ferments. Lactic acid generates chemical reaction, which is effective to curing intestinal disorders.
In winter, vitamin C deficiency can occur because vegetable supply is quite short. Without gimjang kimchi, we would have ruined our health.

Since kimchi is so nutritious in many ways, it is called a "winter staple". This is why you can find kimchi in any region and in any household in Korea.

Gimjang Season
Each big Korean city has a temporary market for gimjang when kimchi is being made at the onset of the winter season. bangadari cabbage, which is raised in bangadari on the outskirts of Seoul, is regarded as the best cabbage. Gaesung cabbage is suitable for bossam kimchi (wrapped-up kimchi) because its middle part is thin and its leaves are large. Traditional Korean families used one or two hundred head of Korean cabbages for gimjang. Nowadays, thanks to green house cultivation, vegetables are produced in all four seasons. As a result, the amount of gimjang kimchi is decreasing.

Maturing of Kimchi
Gimjang kimchi becomes the most delicious when the temperature is kept at around 5 degrees. For the best result, kimchi is preserved in the kimchi storage area and the kimchi jar is covered with a straw cushion. The jars are moved from time on the ground of the kimchi storage. The straw cushion keeps out the cold and reproduces the bacteria, which make kimchi mature. Korean farm families have individually owned their straw-fenced kimchi storage in their backyard.