Traditional Kimchi from Korea

The kimchi is one of the most representative dishes of Korea: it is vegetables that are fermented in soy sauce and spices of various kinds, it’s quite spicy and it is usually served as an accompaniment to all the typical dishes. Specifically, the kimchi is always part of the banchan, the series of appetizers that precede and accompany the main meals and that consists of a number of dishes ranging from 4 to 12, to be divided among all the guests.

The most famous kimchi is the one based on cabbage but in reality, it can be prepared with different vegetables; there would be a typical recipe but like all traditional recipes it varies depending on the region in which it is prepared, who prepares it and therefore also on the ingredients. In general, the kimchi has a recognizable taste but within this flavor, you can identify others.

Let’s start from the basics: to make the kimchi with cabbage, the most famous, you should only and exclusively use ingredients available in Korea (after all, to prepare a perfect pasta carbonara, the best ingredients are those found in Italy and even better in Rome and in the province) but in the absence of the original ingredients, you can use ingredients that you can easily find in your place.

Preparing kimchi is not easy and it is not fast, but certainly tasting your senses will be all satisfied; most of the ingredients to prepare kimchi are found in Asian supermarkets and in many cases even in larger supermarkets.