History

Kimchi traces to at least the Three Kingdoms period (1st century BCE) as a method to preserve vegetables for Korean winters. The spicy red baechu version we know today only emerged after Portuguese traders introduced chillies via Japan in the 17th century; before that, kimchi was salt-only. Seoul households still hold kimjang (the autumn collective making of winter kimchi) in November; UNESCO inscribed kimjang as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. Kimchi varieties exceed 200, but baechu kimchi is the Seoul default; the city's flavour leans slightly less spicy and slightly sweeter than Jeolla or Busan versions.

Common allergens: Fish, Shellfish

Make it at home

Yield 3Hands-on 1 hr 30 minTotal 72 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 medium napa cabbages (about 2kg total), quartered lengthwise through the core
  • 120g coarse sea salt (for salting)
  • 1L cold water
  • For the porridge: 30g glutinous rice flour, 250ml water, 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 100g gochugaru (Korean coarse red chilli flakes)
  • 60ml saeujeot (Korean salted fermented shrimp), finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp myeolchi-aekjeot (Korean anchovy sauce)
  • 1 head garlic (about 10 cloves), peeled
  • 1 thumb fresh ginger (about 30g), peeled
  • 1 small onion, peeled
  • 1 Asian pear, peeled and cored
  • 1 bunch spring onions (about 8), cut to 4cm lengths
  • 1 small daikon (about 300g), cut to fine matchsticks
  • 1 bunch garlic chives or watercress, optional

Method

  1. Quarter the cabbages. Massage coarse salt between every leaf, working from the core outward.
  2. Lay the salted cabbages in a deep tray, cut-side up. Pour 1L cold water over. Cover, leave 4 to 6 hours, turning every 2 hours, until the leaves bend without snapping.
  3. Rinse the cabbages 3 times in cold water. Squeeze out excess water gently. Drain in a colander 30 minutes.
  4. Make the porridge: whisk rice flour into 250ml cold water in a small saucepan. Add sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes until thick and glossy. Cool fully.
  5. Blend garlic, ginger, onion and Asian pear to a smooth puree.
  6. In a large bowl combine the cooled porridge, the puree, gochugaru, salted shrimp and anchovy sauce. Stir to a slack red paste.
  7. Stir in spring onions, daikon matchsticks, and chives if using.
  8. Wearing gloves, slather the paste between every leaf of every cabbage quarter, working from the inside out.
  9. Roll each quarter tightly. Pack into a clean glass or food-safe ceramic jar, pressing down to remove air pockets. Leave 5cm headroom.
  10. Cover loosely and ferment at room temperature 24 to 48 hours until it smells tangy and you see small bubbles when pressed.
  11. Refrigerate. Kimchi peaks at week 2; it keeps 3 to 6 months and gets progressively sourer.

Tip from the editors. Use coarse Korean sea salt, not table salt; the slower dissolve gives an even cure across the leaves. Iodised salt blocks fermentation.

Where to eat kimchi (baechu)

Kimchi (Baechu) in Seoul

Tosokchon Samgyetang ★ 4.3

Korean Traditional₩₩Bukchon and SamcheongDaily 10:00-22:00

The most visited samgyetang restaurant in Seoul, set across several traditional hanok houses near Gyeongbokgung Palace with a long daily queue before 11:30.

Signature: Samgyetang, Black chicken samgyetang

Order: Samgyetang: whole young chicken packed with glutinous rice.

Tip: Come at opening on weekdays; queues are shortest before 11:30.

5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Hadongkwan ★ 4.4

Korean₩Jung-gu and MyeongdongDaily 07:00-15:30

Hadongkwan has served seolleongtang (milky ox bone and brisket soup) from its Myeongdong address since 1939, at a price that remains practically unchanged.

Try: Seolleongtang (milky ox bone soup)

12 Myeongdong 9-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

Onjium 1 ★ ★ 4.7

KoreanChef Cho Eun-hee₩₩₩₩₩180,000Jongno-guTue-Fri 12:00-15:00 and 18:00-21:00, closed Sat-MonBook 4 to 8 weeks ahead

One Michelin star for a cultural research institute disguised as a restaurant: chef Cho Eun-hee studies Joseon royal court recipes and reinterprets them.

49 Hyoja-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03043

More cities are in research. Want kimchi (baechu) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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