Why do many Koreans eat kimchi?

When it comes to Korean food, I think everyone's first reaction is "kimchi". Indeed, kimchi can be said to be the essence of Korean cuisine, the national quintessence of Korea, and one of the few food cultures listed in the world intangible cultural heritage list.

Koreans regard kimchi as a staple food, as a side dish, with kimchi when eating, with kimchi when eating noodles, with kimchi when eating everything, and even developed kimchi series such as kimchi drinks, kimchi burgers, kimchi soup and kimchi cakes. The madness of kimchi is staggering.

Why are Koreans so crazy about kimchi?

The earliest record of kimchi appeared in the Book of Songs, called Qu. The ancient Korean peninsula was short of materials, and it was difficult to find food every winter.

After the demise of Koguryo and Baekje in the Tang Dynasty, the "Anton Duhu House" was established in Pyongyang today. After the demotion of the famous Xue, he became the commander-in-chief of Anton, and a large number of soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were stationed. The accompanying Sichuan and Chongqing soldiers brought the method of pickling vegetables and food in their hometown to the Korean peninsula, forming the original kimchi.

For thousands of years, the peninsula is short of materials, agriculture is underdeveloped and fresh vegetables are very scarce. In addition, the terrain dominated by plateaus and mountains makes it very difficult to transport and preserve food. Therefore, the appearance of kimchi is very important, and traditional culture has been formed after a long time.

At present, the most famous kimchi in Korea, radish kimchi, cabbage kimchi and cucumber kimchi, were all introduced from the Central Plains, and cabbage was also introduced to the Korean peninsula during the Ming Dynasty. From the late Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, South American peppers were also introduced into Korea from China, forming today's kimchi.

How obsessed are Koreans with kimchi?

Although South Korea's economy is quite developed and it can import a lot of food, Koreans still have a special liking for kimchi, although 90% of Chinese cabbage, garlic, ginger and even 60% of finished kimchi come from China.

In all kinds of Korean dramas, men and women love kimchi. Koreans like to drink chicken soup with kimchi, cook soup with kimchi, and eat pickled cabbage cakes with Magli wine. In the eyes of Koreans, kimchi is a perfect food with rich nutrition and good health.