Kimchi Explained: Korea's Salted and Fermented Vegetable Side Dish
Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish of salted, fermented vegetables. This explainer covers its ingredients, how it is made and stored, where its name comes from, and how it has been recognized worldwide.
Last verified 2026-11-07
Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables. The vegetable is most often Chinese cabbage or Korean radish. It is seasoned, packed and left to ferment, and it appears across Korean food culture.
What goes into kimchi
The base is a salted vegetable. The seasonings vary, but several come up again and again:
- Gochugaru, which is Korean chili powder
- Spring onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Jeotgal, a term for salted seafood
Some of these ingredients are newer to Korea than you might expect. Chili peppers were unknown there until the early seventeenth century. Their first mention is in a book called Jibong yuseol, published in 1614. Napa cabbage arrived only at the end of the 19th century.
How kimchi ferments
Once the kimchi is packed, it is left at room temperature to ferment for 24 to 48 hours. The ideal salt concentration during fermentation is about 3%.
In 2001 the Codex Alimentarius published a voluntary standard for kimchi. It defines the food as a fermented food that uses salted napa cabbage as its main ingredient.
Traditional ways of storing kimchi
Winter kimchi was traditionally kept in large earthenware fermentation vessels called onggi. These were buried in the ground.
Vessels are also kept outdoors on special terraces called jangdokdae.
Where the name comes from
The word kimchi comes from the Middle Korean word thimchoy. This was a transcription of the Sino-Korean term 沈菜, which means "submerged vegetable."
An earlier record appears in Dongguk yisangguk jip, a work by Yi Gyubo of the Goryeo era, dated 1241. It attests the term "ji" and records kimchi as 漬.
Kimchi in the wider world
Gimjang, the making and sharing of kimchi in the Republic of Korea, was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. The tradition of kimchi-making in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was added to the same list in December 2015.
Kimchi has also travelled beyond the dinner table. In 2008, South Korean scientists created a bacteria-free "space kimchi" for Yi So-yeon, the first Korean astronaut. Several US states and Washington D.C. have issued proclamations declaring 22 November "Kimchi Day."
In 2021, South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism set xīnqí (辛奇) as the Chinese translation of kimchi.
FAQ
- What is kimchi?
- Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, most often Chinese cabbage or Korean radish.
- What seasonings are commonly used in kimchi?
- Common seasonings include gochugaru (Korean chili powder), spring onions, garlic, ginger and jeotgal (salted seafood).
- How long does kimchi ferment at room temperature?
- Packed kimchi is left to ferment at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. The ideal salt concentration during fermentation is about 3%.
- What does the word kimchi mean?
- It comes from the Middle Korean thimchoy, a transcription of the Sino-Korean 沈菜, meaning "submerged vegetable."
- Has kimchi received UNESCO recognition?
- Yes. Gimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea, was inscribed in 2013. The tradition of kimchi-making in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was inscribed in December 2015.