MASSAPEDIA NEWS - For the fans of South Korean culture, would be familiar with one of the typical cuisine, which is Kimchi. Kimchi is a traditional Korean food, fermented vegetables and various spices. Kimchi including healthy foods because they contain a lot of fiber with very few calories.
In the process, kimchi is traditionally made, namely to put in jars and stored underground. Kimchi storage was intended to remain cool during the summer and does not freeze during the winter.
According to the Korean Ambassador, Cho Tai Young, there are hundreds of kinds of Kimchi made with some of the main ingredients such as cabbage turnip, onions or cucumbers.
"Kimchi is already popular in Indonesia, already know Kimchi. I really appreciate it, many Indonesian people who already enjoy the Kimchi. We would like to introduce again that there are many variants of Kimchi, nearly 200 species," he said during the show "Kimchi Festival" on Wednesday (27 / 4) at the Korean Embassy, Jakarta.
The Kimchi Museum in Seoul has been reported that there were 187 types of Kimchi, from the time of the Goryeo Dynasty to modern Kimchi today. Kimchi making materials can be replaced or added depending on the types of Kimchi to be made.
Kimchi diplomacy
Kimchi Festival is held the first time this year, as efforts to introduce diverse variant types of Kimchi, and diplomacy with some countries embassies in Indonesia.
Of course, the main event of the festival is a Kimchi cooking demo.
Kimchi type is determined based on the vegetables and mix the spices used to give flavor to kimchi. Spices are widely used is a solution of salt, spices, ginger, chopped radish, garlic, saeuweot (shrimp sauce), eongugeot (clam sauce) and aekjeot (fish sauce).
According to him, at present, red chili powder is used as a key ingredient to give a sense of spicy and hot on some types of Kimchi. In the 12th age, other spices are also used to create a sweet and sour taste or give colors like white and orange. So Kimchi does not always have a spicy taste, like many Indonesian people know.
Kimchi itself can be categorized by main ingredients, regions or seasons. Korea's northern and southern part have considerable temperature differences. Kimchi from the northern part of Korea tend to use salt and chili powder a little more and do not use saline solution. While Kimchi from the northern part contains more water.
Kimchi coming from the southern part of Korea as Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do, uses salt, chili powder, myeolchijeot (fermented condiment made from anchovies marinated or saeujeot (fermented seasoning made and shrimp marinated).
Meolchiaekjeot, Kanariaekjeot or fermentation solvent of anchovy, similar to fish sauce used in Southeast Asia, but more viscous.
Saeujeot or Meolchieot not added to the mix spices Kimchi, but used when boiling the first to reduce odor, relieve Sepat and the fat which is then mixed with spices thickener made from rice or wheat flour. However, these techniques have not been used during the last forty years.
From about 180s kind of Kimchi, the most widely known is Baechu kimchi (cabbage napa), Baechu Geotjeori (kimchi cabbage napa unfermented), bossam Kimchi (variety of vegetables), Baek Kimchi (Kimchi white), dongchimi (Kimchi ingredients basic brine), Chonggak Kimchi (young radish kimchi), Kkakdugi (radish Kimchi), Oisobagi (Cucumber Kimchi), and Pa kimchi (kimchi leeks).
White Kimchi (Baek kimchi) is a napa cabbage spiced without using chilli powder and not red or spicy. White radish kimchi (dongchimi) is another type of kimchi that is not spicy. White Kimchi type fry, occasionally used as a base material in a number of dishes such as cold noodles entered into solution dongchimi (dongchimi Guksu)
Sign in UNESCO World Heritage List
The wife of the Ambassador of Korea, Gye Young Cho, said that Kimjang or tradition of making kimchi in Korea have been recorded in the list of Cultural Heritage Objects Man by UNESCO.
According to him, it took more than half a year to grow the ingredients used to Kimjang. One family takes two to three days to obtain and prepare the materials needed to make kimchi.
"Usually there is one day where residents together to make kimchi. Kimjang are annual big event that brings together family, distant relatives, and neighbors to work together," he said.
Tradition is also carried out to prepare inventory Kimchi in winter. The reason, it is very risky to make food in the winter.
"Factors availability of materials was difficult in the winter, so make kimchi before the winter to make it edible 3-4 months into the future," he said.
Each year, South Korean society or 8kg consume 40 pounds of kimchi per person. Kimchi is believed that contribute to the body's energy and keep the body healthy.
A serving of kimchi can meet more than 50 percent of vitamin C and provitamin A every day. Kimchi contains vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, calcium, iron and also contains lactic acid bacteria including Lactobacillus kimchi therein.
During the SARS outbreak in Asia in 2003, many people believed that kimchi can prevent infection and although there is no scientific evidence to support, Kimchi sales increased by 40 percent.
