Kimchi 

(/ˈkɪmtʃiː/; Korean: 김치, romanized: gimchi, IPA: [kim.tɕʰi]), is a traditional Korean side dish of

salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of
seasonings are used, including gochugaru (Korean chili powder), spring onions, garlic, ginger,
and jeotgal (salted seafood), etc.[1][2] Kimchi is also used in a variety of soups and stews. As a staple
food in Korean cuisine, it is eaten as a side dish with almost every Korean meal.[3]
There are hundreds of different types of kimchi made with different vegetables as the main
ingredients.[2] Traditionally, winter kimchi, called kimjang, was stored in large earthenware
fermentation vessels, called onggi, in the ground to prevent freezing during the winter months and to
keep it cool enough to slow down the fermentation process during summer months.[4] The vessels
are also kept outdoors in special terraces called jangdokdae. In contemporary times,
household kimchi refrigerators are more commonly used.[2]

Etymology[edit]
Ji[edit]
The term ji (지), which has its origins in archaic Korean dihi (디히), has been used to refer to kimchi
since ancient times.[5] The sound change can be roughly described as:[6]

 dihi (디히) > di (디) > ji (지)

The Middle Korean form dihi is found in several books from Joseon (1392–1897).[7][8] In Modern
Korean, the word remains as the suffix -ji in the standard language (as in jjanji, seokbak-ji),[9][10] and
as the suffix -ji as well as the noun ji in Gyeongsang and Jeolla dialects.[11] The unpalatalized
form di is preserved in P'yŏngan dialect.[12]

Kimchi[edit]
Kimchi (김치) is the accepted word in both North and South Korean standard languages. Earlier
forms of the word include timchɑi (팀ᄎᆡ), a Middle Korean transcription of the Sino-Korean word 沈
菜 (literally "submerged vegetable"). Timchɑi appears in Sohak Eonhae,[13] the 16th century Korean
rendition of the Chinese book, Xiaoxue.[14] Sound changes from Middle Korean to Modern Korean
regarding the word can be described as:[15]

 timchɑi (팀ᄎᆡ; 沈菜) > dimchɑi (딤ᄎᆡ) > jimchɑi (짐ᄎᆡ) > jimchui (짐츼) > gimchi (

김치)
The aspirated first consonant of timchae became unaspirated in dimchɑe, then
underwent palatalization in jimchɑe. The word then became jimchui with the loss of the vowel ɑ (ㆍ)
in Korean language, then Kimchi, with the depalatalized word-initial consonant. In Modern Korean,
the hanja characters 沈菜 are pronounced chimchae (침채), and are not used to refer to kimchi, or
anything else. The word Kimchi is not considered as a Sino-Korean word.[15] Older forms of the word
are retained in many regional dialects: jimchae (Jeolla, Hamgyŏng dialects),
[16]
 jimchi (Chungcheong, Gangwon, Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, Hamgyŏng, Jeolla dialects),
[17]
 and dimchi (P'yŏngan dialect).[18]
The English word "kimchi" perhaps originated from kimch'i, the McCune–Reischauer transcription of
the Korean word Kimchi (김치).

History[edit]
Early history[edit]
Samguk Sagi, a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, also mentions the pickle jar used
to ferment vegetables, which indicates that fermented vegetables were commonly eaten during this
time.[19][20] During the Silla dynasty (57 BC – AD 935), kimchi became prevalent as Buddhism caught
on throughout the nation and fostered a vegetarian lifestyle.[21]
The pickling of vegetables was an ideal method, prior to refrigerators, that helped to preserve the
lifespan of foods. In Korea, kimchi was made during the winter by fermenting vegetables, and
burying it in the ground in traditional brown ceramic pots called onggi. This labor further allowed a
bonding among women within the family.[21] A poem on Korean radish written by Yi Gyubo, a 13th-
century literatus, shows that radish kimchi was a commonplace in Goryeo (918–1392).[22][23][24]
Pickled radish slices make a good summer side-dish,
Radish preserved in salt is a winter side-dish from start to end.
The roots in the earth grow plumper every day,
Harvesting after the frost, a slice cut by a knife tastes like a pear.

— Yi Gyubo, Donggukisanggukjip (translated by Michael J. Pettid, in Korean cuisine: An Illustrated

History)
Kimchi has been a staple in Korean culture, but historical versions were not a spicy dish.[25] Early
records of kimchi do not mention garlic or chili pepper.[26] Chili peppers, now a standard ingredient in
kimchi, had been unknown in Korea until the early seventeenth century due to its being a New
World crop.[27] Chili peppers, originally native to the Americas, were introduced to East Asia by
Portuguese traders.[26][28][29] The first mention of chili pepper is found in Jibong yuseol, an encyclopedia
published in 1614.[19][30] Sallim gyeongje, a 17‒18th century book on farm management, wrote on
kimchi with chili peppers.[19][31] However, it was not until the 19th century that the use of chili peppers
in kimchi was widespread.[32] The recipes from early 19th century closely resemble today's kimchi.[33][34]
A 1766 book, Jeungbo sallim gyeongje, reports kimchi varieties made with myriad ingredients,
including chonggak-kimchi (kimchi made with chonggak radish), oi-sobagi (with
cucumber), seokbak-ji (with jogi-jeot), and dongchimi.[19][35] However, napa cabbage was introduced to
Korea only at the end of 19th century,[32] and whole-cabbage kimchi similar to its current form is
described in Siuijeonseo, a cookbook published around that time.[36]

Modern history[edit]
During South Korea's involvement in the Vietnam War the industrialization and commercialization of
kimchi production became increasingly important because the Korean government wanted to
provide rations for its troops. The Korean government requested American help to ensure that South
Korean troops, reportedly "desperate" for the food, could obtain it in the field.[37][38]
In 2008, South Korean scientists created a special low-calorie, vitamin-rich "space kimchi" for Yi So-
yeon, the first Korean astronaut, to take to space. It was bacteria-free, unlike normal Kimchi in which
bacteria are essential for fermentation. It was feared that cosmic rays might mutate the bacteria.[39]
South Korea developed programs for adult Korean adoptees to return to South Korea and learn
about what it means to be Korean. One of these programs was learning how to make kimchi.[40]
1996 kimchi standard dispute with Japan[edit]
In 1996, Korea protested against Japanese commercial production of kimchi arguing that the
Japanese-produced product (kimuchi, キムチ) was different from kimchi. In particular, Japanese
kimchi was not fermented and more similar to asazuke. Korea lobbied for an international standard
from the Codex Alimentarius, an organization associated with the World Health Organization that
defines voluntary standards for food preparation for international trade purposes.[41][42] In 2001, the
Codex Alimentarius published a voluntary standard defining kimchi as "a fermented food that uses
salted napa cabbages as its main ingredient mixed with seasonings, and goes through a lactic acid
production process at a low temperature", but which neither specified a minimum amount of
fermentation nor forbade the use of any additives.[43] Following the inclusion of the kimchi standard,
kimchi exports in Korea did increase, but so did the production of kimchi in China and the import of
Chinese kimchi into Korea.[38]
2010 Kimchi ingredient price crisis[edit]
Due to heavy rainfall shortening the harvesting time for cabbage and other main ingredients for
kimchi in 2010, the price of kimchi ingredients and kimchi itself rose greatly. Korean and international
newspapers described the rise in prices as a national crisis.[44] Some restaurants stopped offering
kimchi as a free side dish, which The New York Times compared to an American hamburger
restaurant no longer offering free ketchup.[45] In response to the kimchi price crisis, the South Korean
government announced the temporary reduction of tariffs on imported cabbage to coincide with
the kimjang season.[46]
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity[edit]
Kimchi-related items have been inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity by both South and North Korea. This makes kimchi the second
intangible heritage that was submitted by two countries, the other one being the folk song "Arirang"
which was also submitted by both the Koreas.[47]
Submitted by South Korea (inscribed 2013) [edit]
Kimjang, the tradition of making and sharing kimchi that usually takes place in late autumn, was
added to the list as "Gimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea". The practice of
Gimjang reaffirms Korean identity and strengthens family cooperation. Gimjang is also an important
reminder for many Koreans that human communities need to live in harmony with nature.[48]
Submitted by North Korea (inscribed 2015)[edit]
North Korean kimchi-making was inscribed on the list in December 2015[47] as "Tradition of kimchi-
making in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea".[49] North Korean kimchi tends to be less spicy
and red than South Korean kimchi.[50] Seafood is used less often and less salt is added. Additional
sugar is used to help with fermentation in the cold climate.[51]
Conflicts with China[edit]
2012 effective ban by China of Korean kimchi imports[edit]
Since 2012, the Chinese government has effectively banned the import of Korean kimchi through
government regulations. Ignoring the standards of kimchi outlined by the Codex Alimentarius, China
defined kimchi as a derivative of one of its own cuisines, called pao cai.[52] However, due to
significantly different preparation techniques from pao cai, kimchi has significantly more lactic acid
bacteria through its fermentation process, which exceeds China's regulations.[53] Since 2012,
commercial exports of Korean kimchi to China has reached zero; the only minor amounts of exports
accounting for Korean kimchi are exhibition events held in China.[52]
Boycott in China[edit]
A 2017 article in The New York Times said that anti-Korean sentiment in China has risen after South
Korea's acceptance of the deployment of THAAD in South Korea, government-run Chinese news
media has encouraged the boycott of South Korean goods, and Chinese nationalists have vowed to
not eat kimchi.[54] The move was criticized by other Chinese nationalists, who noted that China
officially considered Koreans an integral ethnic group in the multinational state, and that kimchi is
also indigenous to the Koreans in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture.[55] Chinese
nationalists have also criticized Korean kimchi, by calling them "merely pickles",[56] whereas Chinese
kimchi pao cai's literal meaning is "pickled vegetable".
2020 kimchi origin dispute with China[edit]
In November 2020, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) posted new regulations
for the making of pao cai.[57] The same month, BBC News reported that Chinese news
organization Global Times claimed the new ISO standard was "an international standard for the
kimchi industry led by China".[58] This sparked strong anger from South Korean media and people,[59][60]
[61][62][63][64][65]
 as well as the responses from some Chinese people who argued China held the right to
claim Kimchi as their own.[66]
After the controversy emerged, Global Times explained the controversy as the "misunderstanding in
translation", and stated that "Kimchi refers to a kind of fermented cabbage dish that plays an integral
role in Korean cuisine, while paocai, or Sichuan paocai, refers to pickled vegetables that are popular
originally in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, but now in most parts of northern China."[67] Global
Times also reported that Baidu Baike, the Chinese online encyclopedia, removed the controversial
phrase "Korean kimchi originated from China" after the request.[67] The South Korean Ministry of
Culture, Sports and Tourism subsequently presented the guidelines to set the term "xin qi" as the
new proper Chinese translation of Kimchi while "pao cai" was an acceptable translation prior to the
controversy.[68]