Kimchi – “Try it, you’ll like it”
Remember that old phrase from the 70’s? Well, some of you will. During the 1970s there was a television commercial for Alka-Seltzer where one guy is giving some other guy some scary-looking food and says, “Try it, you’ll like it.” That became the catchphrase for an entire generation, and it meant not to pass judgment on something until you have experienced it.
Back to the subject. Kimchi is a traditional dish and very popular in Korea. It’s served at almost every meal. Basically, it’s a fermented and salted mix of Napa cabbage and Korean radish similar to a Daikon. It often includes peppers, spring onions, garlic and ginger. It can be mild or searingly hot depending on the recipe.
Records show that it has been made for 3,000 years or more. People harvested the ingredients and placed the vegetables into earthenware pots and buried the pots in the ground with the neck sticking up enough to hold a lid. Burying the pot help to keep it from freezing in the winter.
Kimchi is served as a very popular side dish and has great health benefits that should be considered. While some people may want to limit their consumption if they are concerned about salt intake, there off setting benefits. Kimchi is a lacto-fermented food, which means that it is softened and soured by lactobacilli (a genus of anaerobic bacteria that eat the starches in the food when it is submerged in brine),”This gives it its sour tang as well as some of its nutritional benefits.”
Modern refrigeration has largely negated the need for fermentation as a preservative, but other benefits of fermentation (it allows for the growth of gut-beneficial microorganisms) keep the practice alive.
Calorie-conscious people are likely to fall head over heels for kimchi, as the dish is very low in calories and fat. It also boasts an impressive nutrient profile, rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Current evidence indicates that kimchi is effective at helping to ward off some cancer, obesity and constipation, and reducing cholesterol.
A lot of this is due to the aforementioned microbes. When you eat kimchi, you are also consuming billions of these microbes, and these microbes are thought to contribute to additional health benefits once they reach the gastrointestinal tract. For example, kimchi microbes have been reported to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. However, consumers shouldn’t equate kimchi to probiotics. while many of the kimchi bacteria are very closely related to known probiotic strains, kimchi cannot be considered the same as probiotic. Maintain good gut health is important for many reasons such as protecting our immunity. Like most things in life, moderation is probably the best course.
In the US, Kimchi is available in your favorite grocer usually in a refrigerated section of the produce department. NasoyaAuthentic Korean Kimchi is a national brand and is made in Korea. Sometimes local companies produce enough to market as an artisan product with its own unique combination of vegetables and spices.
Personal note, because this is a fermented product you might notice that the lid has swollen slightly on the jar. Most of the time this indicates spoilage in food, but since active fermentation is going on, pressure can build up. So, open the jar over the sink as it might leak slightly when you take the lid off. If your store offers it in a non-refrigerated shelf, just skip that brand as it was heat treated for shelf stability and has likely killed the beneficial bacteria. Bon Appetit.