By Honorary reporters Thariq Hafidz from Indonesia
Photos= Thariq Hafidz

The Korean Cultural Center in Indonesia on Dec. 23 held an event for sampling and making one of Korea's leading foods, kimchi.

Chef Jun, a Korean YouTuber who lives in Indonesia, taught how to make food using kimchi at the event. Many Indonesians attended because of high interest in the country in how to make and taste kimchi they made themselves.

Korea sells refrigerators specifically for storing kimchi, with many Koreans making it in large quantities before winter. Thus they need a refrigerator designed to store kimchi for up to a year.

The most common vegetables used to make kimchi are cabbage and radish. In ancient times, kimchi was pronounced "chimchae" or "marinated vegetables." In Korea, kimchi is often served with meals as one of the most common side dishes, and used as a condiment when cooking kimchi soup or fried rice and other dishes.

Kimchi is made from a variety of ingredients according to type and the preference of the person who makes it. The best-known kimchi outside of Korea is baechu kimchi, which is made from cabbage, radish mixed with garlic, red chili, leek, squid, oyster or other seafood, salt and sugar.

Other variations of kimchi are easily recognizable like kkakdugi, whose main ingredient is chopped radish, oisobaegi (cucumber kimchi) and kkaennip kimchi (perilla leaf kimchi), which is soaked in soy sauce and red chili.

Lactobacillus bacteria, which plays a role in the process of kimchi fermentation, produces lactic acid at higher levels that that in yogurt. Also, the vegetables used to make kimchi such as onions, garlic and chili contain high levels of dietary fiber and low levels of calories.

Kimchi is rich in Vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium, iron and lactic acid bacteria, which is good for digestion. Called by Health magazine in 2006 as one of the five "healthiest foods in the world," kimchi also helps digestion, and certain studies show that it could prevent cancer.

 

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.