By Honorary Reporter Anita Ram from Sweden

Photos = Anita Ram

The Korean Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, on June 25 hosted its annual kimchi contest. 

Ambassador Keum Chang-rok welcomed 25 contestants with their unique recipes to celebrate this quintessential Korean dish. The embassy previously held kimchi workshops at Swiss schools of hotel management and culinary arts, but the event was opened to the public this year.

Amateurs and professionals including myself, a longtime kimchi enthusiast trying for the first time, competed in the event. Each contestant had 45 minutes to prepare and present kimchi to the jury.

The set of ingredients were 1 kg of pickled cabbage, 100 g of green onions, 100 g of radish, 60 g of garlic, 10 g of ginger, 80 g of mild red pepper powder, sugar, salt, anchovy sauce and glutinous rice paste. Contestants could also add vegetables, fruits and herbs to create variations of traditional kimchi.

A class from a school in Lausanne performed Korean songs and the cover dance crew Lynx, winners of this year's K-pop Dance Festival in Gland, performed "Smoothie" by NCT Dream.

Six kimchi creations are chosen for the final. 

The 21-member jury selected by lottery conducted blind tasting and selected six dishes based on taste and presentation. Jean-Jacques Joss, president of the Swiss-Korea Association (Schweizerische Korea-Vereinigung), praised the winning entry by Son Sook-young for its superior cut, taste and color, noting it was reminiscent of his Korean wife's kimchi.

Visitors are invited to taste kimchi with rice and pork.

Despite not winning, I enjoyed competing and seeing kimchi's popularity in Switzerland, attracting people despite the rainy weather. Afterwards, everyone tasted the kimchi creations served with rice and pork cuts.

I learned valuable kimchi-making secrets at the event. Fresh ingredients are crucial, especially garlic, ginger and high-quality red pepper powder. A balanced blend of salty, spicy and savory flavors is essential, as is adjusting seasoning before fermentation. Glutinous rice paste in the ingredients enhances flavor depth by imparting a subtle sweetness to the kimchi mixture.

The six winners of the 2024 Kimchi Contest pose for a group photo.

The contest encouraged contestants to innovate kimchi by adding unique ingredients like fruit such as pears or apples, seafood like oysters or shrimp or vegetables. These tips can enhance kimchi-making capacity to ensure full enjoyment of this nutritious and flavorful dish.

msjeon22@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.