History of Kimchi
Kimchi-making originated from the natural environment and the traditional food making methods used in Korea. It seems that it was made even before the Three Kingdoms period from the 4th to the 7th century A.D.On the Korean Peninsula, wild green herbs that grow in the mountains and the fields, as well as cultivated vegetables, are used to make kimchi. Thanks to the climate, the vegetables are generally tender and are very flavorsome. The four distinct seasons contribute to the wide variety of vegetables, but in winter they are more or less nonexistent; therefore, Koreans needed to develop the special wisdom of preserving techniques such as drying or salting.
Kimchi in ancient times (before A.D. 918)
Koreans have enjoyed vegetables for a long time. Considering the use of salt and the making of soybean paste and other fermented foods, it seems that in Korea kimchi was made even before the Three Kingdoms period from the 4th to the 7th century A.D. According to the first records about kimchi in Goguryeojeon of Weizdongyizhuan in China's Sanguozhi (The Romance of the Three Kingdoms), written in A.D. 3, the Goguryeo people were very good at making fermented foods such as wine, soybean paste and salted and fermented fish, which supports the belief that fermented foods were widely enjoyed at that time.Kimchi in the Goryeo period (A.D. 918-1392)
In the early Goryeo Dynasty, the followers of Buddhism suppressed meat consumption, and vegetables were preferred. The vegetables used in kimchi became much more diverse: turnip, white radish, eggplant, cucumber, wild leek, watercress, royal fern, hollyhock, gourd, bracken, taro, garlic, bamboo shoots, wild mustard leaves, lettuce, green onion and ginger roots. Also, juicy kimchi became popular, and the differentiation between juicy kimchi and plain kimchi occurred. Garnished kimchi also appeared, meaning kimchi now had garnishes such as garlic, and spices like Chinese pepper, ginger roots and tangerine peels added to the simple pickle-type kimchi.
Kimchi in the early Joseon period (A.D. 1392-1600)
In the early Joseon Dynasty, there was a renaissance of culture, a boom of agriculture, typography and astronomy as well as other industries. Thus, cultivated vegetables became much more abundant. Thanks to typography, books on agriculture could be distributed more widely and the methods of growing vegetables could easily be passed on. During this period many foreign vegetables were introduced to Korea and the ingredients became more varied. The methods of making kimchi progressed as well. The kimchi in this period came in a wide variety, from the simple pickled-type jangajji of earlier times, to singgeonji, which was desalinated and then garnished, to the juicy nabakji, which could be eaten instantly, and dongchimi, which is also juicy but needs time to ferment. During this period, the number of spices used in kimchi increased greatly, and the main ingredient was clearly differentiated from the secondary ingredients.Kimchi after the mid-Joseon period (after A.D. 1600)
In the latter half of the Joseon Dynasty and onwards, there was an unprecedented growth in trade, and as a result the growth of cash crops became active. Various traditional vegetables, fruits, horticultural byproducts and herbs were made popular and these became kimchi's main ingredients as well as secondary ones.During the Joseon Dynasty, many kinds of vegetables were introduced from other countries. Pumpkin, red chili pepper, sweet potato, white gourd, apple, and watermelon to name but a few. Red chili peppers, especially, brought about many changes in the Korean diet. From the previously humble and fresh taste of kimchi, there came to be a more complex yet harmonious tasting kimchi as red chili pepper became one of its main ingredients. The number of vegetables used as main and secondary ingredients of kimchi broadened as well. As red chili peppers were used in kimchi, many kinds of salted and fermented fish came to be used. The combined use of animal foods as well as vegetables in kimchi resulted in a great combination of taste and nutrition. It was also in this period that Korean cabbage and white radishes became the main ingredients of kimchi.
