Kimchi is a must-have side dish that appears in almost every Korean meal. “Kimchi” is the generic Korean name for pickled vegetables. When Koreans say “kimchi,” they usually refer to spicy napa cabbage kimchi, since napa cabbage is the most common vegetable used in making kimchi. For other variations, we usually specify the vegetable name before the word “kimchi” (e.g., “O-ee Kimchi” means Cucumber Kimchi and “Yeolmu Kimchi” means Summer Radish Kimchi). Kimchi is also used as an ingredient for many other Korean dishes.

If you are new to kimchi, you may be repelled at first by its strong smell and unique taste. Once you get used to it, however, you will most likely become addicted. This may not be a bad thing, since kimchi is also famous for its health benefits. It is rich in fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium, and iron, and also contains many beneficial lactic acid bacteria. Some researches say that kimchi is great for digestive health, lowering cholesterol, fighting cancer, anti-aging and for an immunity boost. One can easily find pre-made kimchi in Korean markets. But you can certainly make your own as well, and you can make it to fit your personal taste and spiciness preference.

The quality of sea salt and gochugaru (Koran hot pepper flakes) is key to making great kimchi. Many Koreans use 100% Korean produced sea salt and gochugaru to make best quality kimchi even though the price is much higher than products from china or other countries.