Kimchi - Kimchi

A general term for Korean pickles, also written as chimchae. It is a representative of Korean cuisine that is considered spicy and is an essential vegetable in the Korean diet, with rice always being served with kimchi and soup. Daikon radish, Chinese cabbage (baechu), and green vegetables are salted and then pickled with seasonings. For example, Chinese cabbage (baechu gimchi) is cut into quarters, salt is sprinkled between the leaves, left to sit for about a day and night, rinsed, drained, and the seasonings are rubbed between the leaves and the pickled in a jar or pot. Seasonings can be made by mixing chili powder, grated garlic, finely sliced ​​fruit, green onions, Chinese chives, ginger, kelp, salted fish, and other ingredients to taste. When pickling, a drop lid is placed over the cabbage to seal it, but no weights are used. Chili peppers began to be used in kimchi from around the second half of the 17th century, and from this time onwards the methods of making kimchi became more diverse. Until then, kimchi was made simply with garlic, pepper and ginger as seasonings and mostly just salt, and even today non-spicy kimchi is eaten. There are many types of kimchi, numbering in the dozens. The main types include cabbage (baechu) gimchi, as well as diced daikon radish (kat-gimchi), cucumber oi-gimchi, whole pickled vegetables (tong-gimchi), and water-gimchi, which also uses water.

When autumn vegetables are harvested, people all over the country start making kimchi in preparation for winter. This is an annual Korean event called Kimjang, and it is a seasonal feature of early winter, as it is said that winter cannot be survived until it is completed. Kimchi made outside of winter is often lightly pickled. Well-pickled kimchi is full of moisture and contains a lot of lactic acid bacteria and vitamins, and was a food that supported the health of ordinary people who ate a simple diet of just rice and kimchi. In recent years, the Korean dish of kimchi has become popular in Japan and is being commercialized.

[Jeong Dae-sung]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

朝鮮の漬物の総称で、沈菜(チムチェ)とも書く。辛いとされる朝鮮料理のなかでの代表格で、朝鮮の食生活に欠かせない菜であり、飯にキムチとスープはかならずつけられる。ダイコン、白菜(ペチュ)、青菜(あおな)類を塩漬けにしてから、薬味とあわせて漬け込む。白菜(ペチュ)ギムチを例にとると、四つ割りにした白菜の間に塩をふり、ほぼ一昼夜置いて水洗いしてから水をきり、あわせた薬味を葉の間に擦り込み、壺(つぼ)や甕(かめ)に漬け込む。薬味は、粉唐辛子、おろしにんにく、果物の細切り、ネギ、ニラ、ショウガ、昆布、塩辛などを好みで混ぜ合わせてつくる。漬けるとき落し蓋(ぶた)をして密閉はするが重石(おもし)はしない。キムチにトウガラシが用いられるようになったのは17世紀の後半ごろからで、このころからキムチの作り方が多様になった。それまでは薬味にニンニク、サンショウ、ショウガを用いておもに塩だけの単純なもので、いまでも辛くないキムチは食べられている。キムチの種類はきわめて多く、数十種に達する。おもなものは、白菜(ペチュ)ギムチのほかに、ダイコンの角切りのカットウギ、キュウリのオイギムチ、野菜を丸漬けにしたトンギムチや、水分をも食べる水ギムチなどがよくつくられる。

　秋の野菜の収穫時には、冬に備えてのキムチ作りが各地で一斉に始まる。キムジャンとよばれる朝鮮の年中行事であり、これが終わらないと冬は越せないとされる初冬の風物詩である。冬以外のキムチは浅漬けが多い。水分たっぷりのよく漬かったキムチには、乳酸菌やビタミンも多く、飯とキムチだけという粗食で庶民の健康を支えた食べ物でもある。近年、日本でも朝鮮料理のキムチは普及し商品化されるようになった。

［鄭　大　聲］

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