Kimchi: More Than a Jar of Fermented Cabbage
Kimchi is so closely associated with Korea that it’s easy to think of it as one particular dish. In fact, it describes an entire tradition of preserving and fermenting vegetables, with hundreds of variations shaped by season, region, family recipes and the ingredients available.
Napa cabbage may be the version most familiar to us, but kimchi can be made with radish, cucumber and many other vegetables. What unites them is the preservation process and the layers of flavour that develop through fermentation.
Kimchi is traditionally eaten as banchan - the small dishes served alongside a Korean meal - and its importance goes far beyond what’s on the plate.
A Tradition Worth Preserving
Traditionally, kimchi was made to preserve vegetables through the colder months. In late autumn, families and communities would come together to prepare large quantities for winter, a practice known as Kimjang.
The process stretches back through the seasons: historically, seafood would be salted and fermented earlier in the year, sea salt prepared for brining, and chillies dried and ground towards the end of summer, ready for the communal kimchi-making season in late autumn. Recipes, skills and ideas were shared between households and passed from one generation to the next.
That tradition remains so culturally significant that in 2013, UNESCO added Kimjang, the making and sharing of kimchi in the Republic of Korea, to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
If you want to delve even deeper, the Netflix documentary A Nation of Kimchi explores kimchi as a symbol of Korean history, unity and continually evolving food culture.
So, How is Kimchi Actually Made?
This is where it gets particularly interesting for us.
Unlike vegetables simply preserved in vinegar - pickled, kimchi is fermented. The vegetables are salted first, which draws out water, changes their texture and creates the conditions for fermentation. They are then coated in a highly seasoned and distinctive paste and left to ferment.
For our CULTJAR Kimchi, we use authentic gochugaru and gochujang imported from Korea, alongside ingredients including garlic, ginger and spring onion.
Gochugaru is Korean red chilli flakes or powder, bringing background heat, colour and a distinctive fruity depth. Gochujang is a fermented Korean chilli paste, adding another layer of savoury, slightly sweet and umami flavour.
CULTJAR Kimchi
Our classic kimchi made with Napa cabbage (a type of Chinese cabbage similar to bok choi) follows the traditional principle of combining vegetables with chilli, aromatics, soy sauce and fish sauce, which contributes saltiness, depth and umami. We also include some fresh pear in our recipe to help kickstart the fermentation.
CULTJAR Vegan Kimchi
Our vegan kimchi (without any fish sauce, but still with soy sauce) includes hispi cabbage, carrots, daikon and turnips, plus the same Korean gochugaru and gochujang, together with a healthy dose of coriander seeds. Crucially, there is no compromise on flavour.
And then time and microbes get involved.
During fermentation, naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria convert sugars in the vegetables into lactic acid. Acidity increases, helping preserve the vegetables while creating the sourness and complexity that make properly fermented kimchi so distinctive.
The result isn’t simply hot or spicy. Good kimchi balances heat, acidity, saltiness, sweetness and umami, with the vegetables retaining that all-important crunch.
And that, in our humble opinion, is why a spoonful makes almost everything better, not to mention the health benefits.
