(BB4News)Kimchi goes Global

Kimchi has been the time-honored typical dish served in a Korean meal along with the staple rice. It is made by salting cabbage and adding condiments like red pepper, garlic, and ginger and fermenting it before serving. A culinary custom derived from the old days to preserve foods during winter.

The US magazine 'Health' selected Kimchi as one of the 5 health foods in the world. The British magazine, the 'Observer' hailed Kimchi as one of the great discoveries of the 20th century.

Kimchi came under the limelight as people became increasingly conscious about what they eat and began searching for health foods in a trend fueling the well-being drive. From Asia and the US to the rest of the world, Kimchi's health benefits spread fast and wide. In particular, the surging popularity of Kimchi took off when studies showed that it is effective in warding off the potential epidemics like the bird flu and SARS. Against this backdrop, Kimchi exports amounted to 100 million dollars in 2004 and nearly as much the following year.
But Kimchi also faced some negative impact. In November 2005, the tainted Kimchi scare originating in China drove down overseas shipments as Japan, the biggest market of Korea's Kimchi, drastically cut back on imports. How did they come up with a breakthrough[Interview : ] "Although the unit cost was a burden, we switched to using 100 percent homegrown agricultural produce. The price factor was a burden. But at a time when food safety is a key concern, we were confident that consumers would rely more on big brand names".

In the wake of the setback, the makers of Kimchi, a food which boasts a 2000 year history, began heightening food safety inspections in both their Korean and Chinese factories. Stricter guidelines were adopted for ingredient selection and the production lines were overhauled. Also the flavors of Kimchi have been diversified to suit the tastes of global patrons living in various parts of the world.

[Interview : ] "Kimchi tastes crispy and looks delicious when it is matured with salt and fermented shrimp without much stimulating fermented condiments. This makes it appealing to foreigners and children coming to our hotel. By using data and exact measurements, we have controlled the amount of salt and the pickled degree. Also with a set recipe we have been able to create the same taste regardless of the seasons of the year".

This line of Kimchi is made by the chief chef at a luxury hotel. Until recently, it has been offered to hotel guests only and sold through the hotel's website. But with the growing demand for the crispy and tasty Kimchi, the hotel says is plans to expand distribution to department stores and other sales outlets.

[Interview : ] "To set ourselves apart from ordinary Kimchi and establish our product as a luxury food brand, we are aiming to enter the Japanese TV home shopping lineup. Right now, the Japanese folks are inspecting the packaging, taste an our production facilities".

In October, the government pronounced the beginning of the globalization of Korean foods. Kimchi was chosen as the food with the highest chance of worldwide success. Many efforts will continue to be made to set Korean Kimchi apart from the Japanese strain of Kimchi called "Kimuchi" and the cheaper brands in China. As Korea is home to this time-honored food, the country and the industry are both trying hard to put Kimchi on the dinner tables of as many peoples around the world as they can, making it a global food in every sense of the word.