May 22, 2006
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A friend sent me this article about kimchi…
(image source: htstore)
SEOUL — One might call it the chicken soup of Korea.
For years, Koreans have clung to the notion that kimchi, the pungent fermented cabbage that is synonymous with their culture, has mystical properties that ward off disease. But what was once little more than an old wives’ tale has become the subject of serious research, as South Korean scientists put kimchi under their microscopes.
Last month, scientists at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute unveiled a kimchi especially developed for astronauts to prevent them from getting constipated in space. A researcher at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul reported that kimchi lowered the stress levels of caged mice by 30%.
At the Kimchi Research Institute in Busan, hairless mice fed kimchi were reported to develop fewer wrinkles. With a government grant of $500,000, the institute is developing a special anti-aging kimchi that will be marketed this year. Other new products are anti-cancer and anti-obesity kimchi.
“We are proud that we can use scientific methods to confirm the health benefits of our traditional food,” said Park Kun-young, who heads the institute.
Kimchi specialists abound here. The library of a kimchi museum in Seoul holds more than 2,000 books about kimchi and thousands more dissertations. (“A Kinetic Model for Lactic Acid Production in Kimchi” was among the recent titles.) New theses are being added at the rate of 300 per year.
Kimchi is a matter of great national pride, and much of the research has been government-funded.
“I think kimchi practically defines Korean-ness,” said Park Chae-lin, curator of the museum.
kimchi does the body good
what a coincidence. i finished reading that article right before you posted it.
yummy, KIMCHI IS THE BEST!
“I think kimchi practically defines Korean-ness”
heheh.
I would eat kimchi (and many other korean foods) more if it weren’t for the high sodium and ‘useless carb’ contents.
I don’t know.. almost every Korean-Korean I know (ex., not Korean-Americans) has a constipation problem, although that’s because they’re all white-rice addicts. I get the best “movement” when I minimize white-carb intake and exercise.
Having said that, Kimchi rocks.
HpAiSpHe: Pretty much the only useless carb in Korean food is the bowl of rice that sits right in front of you. Eat anything *except* that and you’ll be eating less carb than any other ethnic food. Italian foods – now *that’s* a load of useless carbs you can’t do anything about.
(drooling)
Good reading and an education as well. Pat yourself on back.
Kim chi is good, but beware eating too much! as the article says…people who consume heavy amounts of kimchi have a 50% higher chance of getting stomach cancer. just like ANYTHING else, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. all in moderation, people.
that is too awesome. space kimchi!
I’m sorry, but I’m wary of any research coming out of South Korea these days. Especially when there is potential conflict-of-interest (it “defines” Korean-ness, for chrissakes).
gotta love the spicy fermented cabbage.
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just saw this on boingboing:
Too much kimchi might be bad for you
Recently, I started making my own sauerkraut, which is much better tasting than store bought. There have been stories suggesting that fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut are good for your immune system. (Here’s a BBC story about claims that kimchi may cure bird flu.) So this article about Kimchi in the LA Times caught my eye. The Chinese World Journal of Gastroenterology recently ran a report titled “Kimchi and Soybean Pastes Are Risk Factors of Gastric Cancer.”The researchers, all South Korean, report that kimchi and other spicy and fermented foods could be linked to the most common cancer among Koreans. Rates of gastric cancer among Koreans and Japanese are 10 times higher than in the United States.
“We found that if you were a very, very heavy eater of kimchi, you had a 50% higher risk of getting stomach cancer,” said Kim Heon of the department of preventive medicine at Chungbuk National University and one of the authors. “It is not that kimchi is not a healthy food — it is a healthy food, but in excessive quantities there are risk factors.”
It could be that the danger of kimchi might be from the large amount of salt in it, “which could combine with red pepper to form a carcinogen.”
In any case, I’m not going to stop making sauerkraut. I don’t use much salt when I make it anyway. Link
Maybe that might explain why every fricken Korean soap opera seems to have someone dying of cancer.
saw this in the sf chron on sunday. figured you already saw it.
i saw this thing on korean tv about scientists trying to come up w/ the space kimchi…
trying too hard… but i agree. if i was an astronaut, i think i’d need my kimchi in space!
ooohhh…i randomly found your site and I think it’s wonderful~!!!
we should put a picture of kimchi on the national flag!
“Maybe that might explain why every fricken Korean soap opera seems to have someone dying of cancer.”
or motorcycle accidents…but I guess the motorcycle accidents have nothing to do with kimchi.
Question:
I’ve been recently noticing go-chu kka ru we buy in the states is not spicy at all!!!
maybe it’s just chicago… whatever we make, nothing seems to be spicy enough…
where can you get quality go-chu kka ru??? and what brand??
have you noticed store bought kimchee in america is not spicy at all?
i remember eating kimchee in korea and it was to a point where it was burning my tongue! As I was looking over your recipes, which I think are great!!!
it reminded me of one recipe a Korean friend taught me.
Kimchee and tuna fried rice with melted cheese…
I know it doesn’t sound too appetizing but you should try!! it’s sooo good.
My friend likes to fry the kimchee and rice with a little bit of butter.
then she adds in the tuna (the korean one, oil based) with the oil from the can as well.
and then you would scoop out a bowl of rice and add shredded cheese, microwave for a minute or 2
and voila you have an easy, fast meal for kimchee lovers! i meant to say, “scoop out a bowl of already fried rice”
http://www.mercola.com/2004/aug/4/fermented_soy.htm
http://www.mercola.com/2004/jan/3/fermented_foods.htm
These articles are all about why fermented soy and kimchee are good for you, not to mention that the onions, peppers, garlic and ginger that you often find in most kimchees are all natural blood cleansers and immune system builders. Our family rarely gets sick because I cook everything with garlic, onions and ginger and we eat lots of kimchee.
SPACE KIMCHI!!! LEAD US TO THE NEW FRONTIER!!!
Road is the land of a refractory wounds, so every step in life are faint pain.
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