(Fun) facts (and fiction) about kimchi
김치, 반찬, 한식에 대해 더 알고 싶다면
저희에게 물어보세요. 기쁨 마음으로 답변해 드리겠습니다.
Fight wrinkles with kimchi! Yup.
You don’t put kimchi on your face, but eating it regularly fights free radicals and therefore wrinkles and helps with anti-aging.
Our kimchi continues to ferment as it ages. This is because we don’t use any preservatives or chemicals., which means that the fermentation process is continuing. Once it’s mixed, the natural lactose fermentation begins and will create gas that needs to be released, otherwise it can explode like champagne.
We use premium napa cabbage and everything is hand cut and goes through several inspections throughout the production.
Carefully! LOL!
In order for you and your kitchen not to be covered with kimchi, then it is best to open it over the sink.
First, place a bowl in the sink and put your jar into the bowl. The bowl is to catch any kimchi overflow, because you don’t want to waste any of your delicious juice or kimchi.
Slowly open the lid, without lifting it too high. This will prevent the kimchi from exploding upwards.
To slow down the fermentation and the sourness, store your kimchi in the fridge or cool place at 6°C. When you open the jar, always press the kimchi down so that the juices cover it (I add a bit of plastic wrap to seal off as much air as possible when I am gone for a couple of weeks) and seal the lid tight. It’s also good to “burp” your kimchi every few days by opening the lid to release any gas.
Koreans eat kimchi at every meal as a side dish. It’s like eating your vitamins with every meal. You can eat it as a side dish to steamed rice or noodles. Kimchi is excellent in stews, soups and you can fry it into vegetables or rice for any number of delicious dishes. Check out our recipes for inspiration.
We have to put an expiration date, but I have kimchi that is over 3 years old. We hope you eat yours faster, though!
There are restaurants in Korea that only use kimchi that is over a year old. At that time it becomes less sour and achieves a mellow, deeper flavor that has a delicate sweetness to it.
If you do, the kimchi gods with be mad!
Kimchi just ripens as it ages and if it’s too sour, then make kimchijeon (kimchi pancakes) or kimchi stew (jjigae).
Not a problem!
When I was little, my mom would just swish the kimchi in bowl of water to rinse it off.
It will have all the health benefits without beginning spicy.
Make a delicious dish with it.
This is perfect for kimchi jeon, kimchi fried rice and jjigae.
Check out our recipes for something delicious!
Aged kimchi is perfect for Korean dishes.
Check out our recipes for some delicious food.
It is one of the 5 Super Foods.
Besides being packed with vitamin A, B1, B2 and C, kimchi also contains folates, iron, manganese and has more probiotics than yogurt.
Kimchi is probiotics on steroids! Your gut stores 70 percent to 80 percent of the immune system. Probiotic-rich kimchi can help you fight bacterial infections, viruses, common illnesses and serious chronic conditions.
These healthy microorganisms give kimchi several health benefits and will help regulate your immune system, promote weight loss, fight inflammation, and even slow the aging process.
Aside from containing probiotics, kimchi is full of ingredients that are known to stimulate healthy immune function.
Kimchi Love kimchi is gluten free.
Because everyone has their own recipe for kimchi, this may not be true for others. But, generally, kimchi is gluten free.
Yes. There is no heat processing so our kimchi is allowed to ferment naturally. We let nature work it's wonders on our kimchi so that it retains the best taste and all the healthiest benefits.
Don’t worry that your kimchi “talks” to you!
When it’s fizzing, it’s still fermenting and that’s good for you!
Don't worry. Fizzy kimchi is fine to eat. Sounds odd right?
The fizziness occurs because the fermentation process creates gas.
Just "burp" your kimchi every few days and press it down so that it is covered with juice and put the jar in the fridge.
Only Vegan Kimchi do not contain fish sauce, which can be an allergen.
Our vegan kimchi does not have any fish sauce, otherwise it’s the taste!
Even vegans prefer our regular kimchi.
It tastes so much better and gives you the added Omega 3 vitamins.
Not at all. Fish sauce is actually a liquid condiment and not a sauce. It acts as a natural preservative and taste enhancer. There is no fishy taste or smell.
Not to worry. These "strands" are fine threads from the ginger.
It depends on the cabbage and how much green is on it.
My mom always said, “It’s ok. You just clean it!” and removed it before eating it or cooking with it.
Film yeast is common with fermented foods (i.e. soybean paste, soy sauce). You might be more familiar with the term if you know anything about cheese or winemaking. Use your common sense and if it smells bad, throw it out!
The white mold is really Kahm yeast (pictured right) and looks very different from mold. Mold is fuzzy, fluffy and usually raised. Kahm is a yeast which grows when the sugars in the ferment food have been eaten up and the lactic acid reduces the alchohol in the jar/crock. It’s always white and can sometimes be present as a thin film. Regardless, it's harmless and can just be removed.
This is difinitely not good! If you have blue mold,
you should throw it out.
There are more than 100 varieties of kimchi!
But these are four of the most common kimchis, with Baechu Kimchi being the #1!
Baechu Kimchi (배추김치) or cabbage kimchi is the most common kimchi and served at all meals.
Ggakdugi Kimchi (깍두기) or radish kimchi
Nabak Kimchi (나박김치) or red water kimchi
Chonggak Kimchi (총각김치) ponytail kimchi
No, it's not chilli as we do not use chilli in our takuan. The red flakes you may come across in your takuan is the natural tumeric reacting to the vinegar.