Early history Samguk Sagi, a historical record of the
Three Kingdoms of Korea, mentions the
pickle jar used to ferment vegetables, which indicates that fermented vegetables were commonly eaten during this time. Attributed to the earliest kimchi, the
Goguryeo people were skilled at fermenting and widely consumed fermented food. During the
Silla dynasty (57 BCE – CE 935), kimchi became prevalent as
Buddhism caught on throughout the nation and fostered a vegetarian lifestyle. The pickling of vegetables was an ideal method, prior to refrigerators, that helped to preserve the lifespan of foods. In Korea, kimchi was made during the winter by fermenting vegetables, and burying them in the ground in traditional brown ceramic pots called
onggi. This labor further allowed a bonding among women within the family. Kimchi has been a staple in Korean culture, but historical versions were not a spicy dish. Early records of kimchi do not mention garlic or
chili pepper. Chili peppers, now a standard ingredient in kimchi, had been unknown in Korea until the early seventeenth century due to it being a
New World crop. Chili peppers, originally native to the Americas, were introduced to East Asia by Portuguese traders. The first mention of chili pepper is found in
Jibong yuseol, an encyclopedia published in 1614.
Sallim gyeongje, a 17‒18th century book on farm management, wrote on kimchi with chili peppers. However, it was not until the 19th century that the use of chili peppers in kimchi became widespread. Recipes from the early 19th century closely resemble today's kimchi. A 1766 book,
Jeungbo sallim gyeongje, reports kimchi varieties made with myriad ingredients, including
chonggak-kimchi (kimchi made with
chonggak radish),
oi-sobagi (with cucumber),
seokbak-ji (with
jogi-jeot), and
dongchimi. However,
napa cabbage was introduced to Korea only at the end of 19th century,
Modern history During South Korea's involvement in the
Vietnam War, the industrialization and commercialization of kimchi production became increasingly important because the Korean government wanted to provide
rations for its
troops. The Korean government requested American help to ensure that South Korean troops, reportedly "desperate" for the food, could obtain it in the field. In 2008, South Korean scientists created a special low-calorie, vitamin-rich "space kimchi" for
Yi So-yeon, the first Korean astronaut, to take to space. It was bacteria-free, unlike normal kimchi in which bacteria are essential for fermentation. It was feared that cosmic rays might mutate the bacteria. South Korea developed programs for adult
Korean adoptees to return to South Korea and learn about what it means to be Korean. One of these programs was learning how to make kimchi.
1996 kimchi standard dispute with Japan In 1996, Korea protested against Japanese commercial production of kimchi arguing that the Japanese-produced product (
kimuchi, ) was different from kimchi. In particular, Japanese kimchi was not fermented and was more similar to
asazuke. Korea lobbied for an international standard from the
Codex Alimentarius, an organization associated with the World Health Organization that defines voluntary standards for food preparation for international trade purposes. In 2001, the Codex Alimentarius published a voluntary standard defining kimchi as "a fermented food that uses salted napa cabbages as its main ingredient mixed with seasonings, and goes through a lactic acid production process at a low temperature", but which neither specified a minimum amount of fermentation nor forbade the use of any additives. Following the inclusion of the kimchi standard, kimchi exports in Korea did increase, but so did the production of kimchi in China and the import of Chinese kimchi into Korea. Some restaurants stopped offering kimchi as a free side dish, which
The New York Times compared to an American hamburger restaurant no longer offering free
ketchup. In response to the kimchi price crisis, the South Korean government announced the temporary reduction of tariffs on imported cabbage to coincide with the
kimjang season. "The culture of kimjang" was the subject of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: kimchi is not registered by itself.
Submitted by South Korea (inscribed 2013) Kimjang, the tradition of making and sharing kimchi that usually takes place in late autumn, was added to the list as "Gimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea". The practice of Gimjang reaffirms Korean identity and strengthens family cooperation. Gimjang is also an important reminder for many Koreans that human communities need to live in harmony with nature.
Submitted by North Korea (inscribed 2015) North Korean kimchi-making was inscribed on the list in December 2015 North Korean kimchi tends to be less spicy and less red than South Korean kimchi. Seafood is used less often and less salt is added. Additional sugar is used to help with fermentation in the cold climate.
Kimchi Day Larry Hogan declaring 22 November as 'Kimchi Day' (2022) In the
United States, the states
California,
Virginia,
Maryland and
New York, and the capital city
Washington D.C. have issued proclamations declaring 22 November as 'Kimchi Day' to recognize the importance of the dish as part of Korean culture.
2012 effective ban by China of Korean kimchi imports Since 2012, the Chinese government has effectively banned the import of Korean kimchi through government regulations. Ignoring the standards of kimchi outlined by the
Codex Alimentarius, China defined kimchi as a derivative of one of its own cuisines, called
pao cai. However, due to significantly different preparation techniques from
pao cai, kimchi has significantly more lactic acid bacteria through its fermentation process, which exceeds China's regulations. Since 2012, commercial exports of Korean kimchi to China has reached zero; the only minor amounts of exports accounting for Korean kimchi are exhibition events held in China. The move was criticized by other Chinese nationalists, who noted that China officially considered Koreans an integral ethnic group in the multinational state, and that kimchi is also indigenous to the
Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture.
2020 kimchi ISO standard dispute with China In November 2020, the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) posted ISO 24220:2020, new regulations for the making of
pao cai. The same month,
BBC News reported that Chinese news organization
Global Times claimed the new ISO standard was "an international standard for the kimchi industry led by China" despite the standard clearly stating "this document does not apply to kimchi". This sparked strong anger from South Korean media and people, as well as the responses from some Chinese people who argued China held the right to claim kimchi as their own. However clarifications from both countries, later revealed that the controversy was triggered over a misunderstanding of a translation of the Chinese word
pao cai. After the controversy emerged,
Global Times explained it was simply a "misunderstanding in translation", where they had meant to refer to Chinese
pao cai, and their Chinese language article had used the term
pao cai, but their English language version had "erroneously" translated it as "kimchi", and that the dispute arose from being innocently "lost in translation". They acknowledged that kimchi and
pao cai are two different foods, where "Kimchi refers to a kind of fermented cabbage dish that plays an integral role in Korean cuisine, while
pàocài, or Sichuan
pàocài, refers to pickled vegetables that are popular originally in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, but now in most parts of northern China."
Global Times also reported that
Baidu Baike, a Chinese online encyclopedia, removed the controversial phrase "Korean kimchi originated from China" after the request. In 2021, the South Korean
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism subsequently presented the guidelines to set the term
xīnqí as the new proper Chinese translation of kimchi, while
pàocài was no longer the acceptable translation. However,
CNN reported that the new Chinese translation of kimchi was unpopular with both Chinese and Korean netizens, and that some Chinese people complained that they do recognize the difference between dishes, but don't like to be told how to translate Kimchi in Chinese. There were also complaints among Koreans that Korea is appropriating their own traditional culture for the Chinese, by trying to promote a Chinese term for Kimchi which doesn't have an authentic Korean sound. == Ingredients ==