On Friday, November 19, a kimch-making session was held at the Kimchi Museum, located in Samsung-dong, southern Seoul. Housewives are getting busier these days, as the so-called “ipdong,” or the “onset of winter season,” has set in. Around this time of year, Koreans traditionally make a large amount of kimchi to prepare for the coming winter. This seasonal ritual is called kimjang.

In early winter, Koreans make loads of kimchi that will be consumed throughout the cold season. Once you finish kimjang, you won’t have to worry about food all winter long. Kimchi is used in a variety of dishes—refreshing and spicy kimchi soup, kimchi pancakes, kimchi stew, kimchi tofu salad and fried kimchi, to name a few.

...With delicious kimchi, I don’t need any other side dish. I just can’t imagine a table without kimchi. I would never be fed up with kimchi stew even if I ate it every day. Kimchi kimbap, kimchi fried rice and tofu kimchi.... We can’t live without kimchi.
...Kimchi is a crusader, so to speak, for the healthy life of my family. I do want to introduce foreigners to kimchi, which contains lots of fiber and lactic acid bacteria. For those who enjoy meat, nothing is better than kimchi. I eat kimchi when I feel heavy in my stomach, because it helps with digestion. It is also very good for dieting.

It simply looks like napa cabbage mixed with red pepper powder. But kimchi is attracting the worldwide attention as one of the well-being foods of the 21st century. In this kimjang season, let’s go to the Kimchi Museum to explore the secret of this magic Korean food.

There are two kimchi-themed tourist attractions in Seoul. One is the Kimchi World, a place for experiencing Korean food culture in Insa-dong, central Seoul, and the other is the Kimchi Museum in Samsung-dong, southern Seoul. Today, we’re visiting the Kimchi Museum.

Get off at Samsung Station on Subway Line 2 and walk toward Exit No. 5 and 6. From there, a passage is linked to COEX Mall on the first basement. Take the escalator down to the second basement, and you will see the entrance of the Kimchi Museum, which was built in 1986. Here’s museum curator Shin Su-ji.

Here, visitors can experience kimchi culture. There are three exhibition rooms. The first exhibition room delves into the origin and history of kimchi ranging from pre-historic times to the Joseon period. The second room displays a variety of kimchi from different regions and seasons. In the third room, visitors can sample kimchi to learn why it is such a good food.

At the entrance of the museum, visitors are greeted by jangseung, a totem pole, and sotdae, another traditional pole symbolizing prayer, both of which represent Korean agricultural culture. What catches the eye is a jar stand where big and small jars huddle together. The clay pots were used to store kimchi, soy sauce and soybean paste in the past. They have been replaced by kimchi refrigerators in modern times, but these “breathing jars” are ideal for fermenting kimchi since they add flavor and nutrition to the cabbage. Conspicuously, a straw rope, or geumjul, hangs around a big jar. The straw rope is loaded with traditional half-moon shaped socks, red peppers and pine twigs.

A straw rope hung around a big jar has many implications. Korean people like to use five different colors in their clothes and daily customs. When cooking, for example, Koreans like to use assorted toppings of different colors—white, yellow and red. Similarly, this yellow straw rope is decorated with white socks, red peppers, black charcoal and green pine twigs. Charcoal functions to purify bad flavors and is believed to ward off evil spirits. Twigs of evergreen pine trees contain a wish that soy sauce and soybean paste in the jars will maintain their flavor all year round. It is believed that evil spirits are afraid of the color red. That is why the straw rope has red peppers, which also symbolize spiciness.

In front of the jar stand, there is a small shed that looks like a mud hut. This is a typical kimchi storeroom. Here at the Kimchi Museum, visitors see three types of unique kimchi storage—the wooden jar, the haeju jar and the dual jar.

One of the most representative traditional jars to store kimchi is the wooden jar. Used in the Joseon period, it is larger than any other jars that have been discovered so far. Its body is made of a lime tree and the bottom, a pine tree. This jar stores kimchi throughout the winter without leaking any kimchi liquid. The haeju jar is a more delicate, white porcelain-shaped jar, decorated with drawings. Noblemen used this jar to symbolize their wealth. And the dual jar has distinctive features. It was used to store kimchi during the summer season. It has two holes to store kimchi—big and small. There is a space between the holes and cold water flows through the space to make kimchi more refreshing.

Passing the jar stand, visitors can watch video clips that demonstrate the benefits of kimchi. Moving on, they enter the exhibition room displaying old books about the history of kimchi. Also, plastic kimchi models from different ages are exhibited so visitors can get extensive information about kimchi in a convenient way.

As you see, the history of kimchi begins in prehistoric times. The primitive form of kimchi appeared during the reign of Queen Seondeok in the Three Kingdoms period. Simply preserved with salt, it is assumed to have tasted like today’s vegetables pickled in soy sauce. Various kinds of kimchi were created during the Goryeo period when agriculture was developed. Red and spicy kimchi, almost identical to what we eat today, emerged in the Joseon period, with the import of red peppers.

Red peppers were introduced to Korea in the 16th century. 200 years later, around the 18th century, nappa cabbage was combined with red peppers, giving birth to red kimchi. And Kimchi stuffed with fillings, such as radishes, red peppers and garlic, appeared in the mid-19th century.

Kimchi differs by regions, seasons and the people who eat it. In the cold northern regions where the winter is long, kimchi can be stored for a long time without an assortment of seasonings. That is why watery radish kimchi, known as dongchimi, and white kimchi made without red pepper were developed. In the southern regions, on the other hand, kimchi goes sour quickly in high temperatures and a relatively longer daytime. As a result, southern people added a lot of seasonings, such as ginger, garlic and red pepper powder. Famous kimchi in southern regions includes sesame leaves kimchi, Korean lettuce kimchi called godeulbbaegi and gat kimchi, which is pickled mustard leaves and stems. By region, Jeolla Province is known for gat-kimchi and Gangwon Province is home to kimchi made of deodeok, a kind of mountain herb. Dongchimi is indigenous to northeastern Hamgyeong Province, and seafood kimchi is found in Jeju Island. Seoul is famous for ssam kimchi. Ssam means “wrapping” in Korean.

Kimchi also varies according to the ingredients and preparation method. Surprisingly enough, there are about 200 varieties of kimchi. Visitors are astonished and impressed to see the innumerable varieties of kimchi.

Now, it’s time to try some kimchi. Visitors can sample a variety of kimchi here. As they enjoy the crispy kimchi, some visitors may feel like making their own. Let’s participate in the museum’s interesting experience program. Anyone can participate in the kimchi-making session as long as they make a reservation two weeks before they visit the museum. Timed with the kimjang season, each session is totally booked these days. The participants experience the whole process of kimchi-making—from preparing ingredients to making seasonings and stuffing cabbages with the fillings. After three hours of intensive kimchi-making, they all become kimchi experts!

...I put julienne radish, gat and water parsley into the kimchi. I’m making seasonings with salted seafood, garlic, thin green onion and ginger. The seasoning looks yummy! The color is perfect. I bet my family will like it. It’s not too salty and I believe it will taste cool.
...It wasn’t as hard as I had thought. I usually asked my mom to make kimchi for me, but I think I can make my own kimchi now. I gained confidence after I made kimchi here. It’s fun!

While they’re making kimchi, the participants also boil pork. After finishing the kimchi, they enjoy a slice of the boiled pork with the spicy seasoning wrapped in a salted cabbage leaf. The flavor is beyond all description!! This kimchi-making program entitled “Kimch Academy” teaches the participants about the special kinds of kimchi, as well as the most common form of cabbage kimchi. Today, visitors are learning how to make kimchi with apples and persimmons.

This apple kimchi is sweet and sour. It’s really delicious—fresh and crispy. Oh, this persimmon kimchi is fantastic. I can feel the persimmon’s astringent and sweet flavors at the same time. I think I can make kimchi with great ease now. I used to simply cut persimmons and give them to my kids as a snack, but it would be nice to cook persimmons as a side dish.

The kimjang season is upon us, with mothers making kimchi all over the country. Why don’t you visit the Kimchi Museum to try some kimchi and learn about Korea’s staple side dish? Kimchi is tasty, of course, but it also embodies the traditional culture of sharing. The crispy cabbage produces a soft flavor and the spicy red pepper magically turns sweet while fermenting. Likewise, today’s wonderful experience of kimchi, the iconic Korean food, will stay with visitors as a soft and sweet memory.