Kimchi: Magic Food

The average Korean eats 40 pounds of Kimchi (김치) per year. No wonder natives say “kimchi” instead of “cheese” when they are getting their pictures taken! Although there are hundreds of varieties of the super-spicy condiment, kimchi always consists of a main vegetable ingredient such as bok choi, napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. The oldest references to kimchi date back to 600 BCE. To this day, kimchi is the most popular banchan, or side dish, in Korean cuisine.

Various kimchi

Kimchi is part of a low-fat, high-fiber diet that has kept obesity at bay in Korea. Kimchi is loaded with vitamins A,  B and C, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium and iron, but it’s biggest benefit may be its “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli, which is found in other fermented foods such as yogurt. Lactobacilli promote healthy digestion. The bacteria also help stop and even prevent yeast infections. While kimchi is traditionally served alone or mixed with rice and noodles, some Korean-Americans have integrated it into an Anglicized diet by using it as a pizza topping or scrambling it with eggs.

Scrambled eggs 'n kimchi