When South Koreans pose for family snaps, the photographer invariably cries “kimchiiiii!” to encourage the subjects to smile. Westerners might be forgiven for thinking kimchi was some sort of cheese, but it is far more than that. It is an Oriental culinary icon, a Korean staple which millions of Asians believe is a cure for SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).
Kimchi looks something like shredded, dirty, grass-stained sports socks and, depending on the mix of other ingredients, can sometimes taste about the same.
A concoction of fermented cabbage and raw garlic, with ingredients including radish and chilli peppers, Koreans have been convinced of the therapeutic benefits of kimchi for centuries. For many Westerners, the pickled, hot tang of kimchi is very much an acquired taste, but South Koreans get pickled every day, at home, work and play. From dedicated fast food outlets in the capital, Seoul, to tiny rural restaurants in the provinces, kimchi is on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
And why not?
An Italian pasta, a French pastry, a German sausage or an Aussie meat pie may well be tasty, but their health benefits (if there are any) fall far short of being hailed as a preventative for a life-threatening disease.
Kimchi is fermented in big earthenware pots and it is believed that the process breaks down and destroys harmful microbes which may be responsible for a variety of human ailments.
The threat of SARS in Asia some years ago did wonders for South Korean kimchi sales. The public latched on to the “miracle cure” following a story in the Asian Financial Times quoting a Korea Agriculture Development Institute spokesman saying it was the consumption of kimchi which had helped South Korea avoid SARS, which hit tourism in other South-East Asian countries. South Korea had only a few suspected cases of SARS and no fatalities, unlike its near neighbor China, where the virus originated, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The scientist said it was the ample use of raw, rather than cooked garlic, in kimchi which made it such a powerful SARS preventative. Major Korean kimchi producers enjoyed a more than 40 per cent increase in sales following the media focus on the kimchi/SARS theory, while demand in China for the miracle pickle surged, with Shanghai grocery stores reporting kimchi sales up by nearly 70 per cent.
The pickling of vegetables was developed by the Chinese around 50BC and the Koreans picked up on the idea as a way of preserving food for storage during the long winters. The Portuguese are responsible for a vital additive, bringing chilli peppers to the Korean Peninsula in the 16th century aboard ships based in Nagasaki, Japan. On average, South Koreans eat more than 20kg of kimchi annually and there are museums, foundations and research institutes devoted to the popular pickle.
Natural and herbal medicine has been part of Korean culture for thousands of years and while kimchi has enjoyed popularity in Asia as a preventative against SARS, Korean ginseng is the “silver bullet” in the fight against everything from cancer to old age.
Ginseng is believed to:
- Help control diabetes
- Help normalize blood pressure and prevent atherosclerosis
- Be an anti-cancer agent
- Strengthen the immune system
- Improve sexual stamina
- Enhance brain activity
- Aid the liver and detoxify alcohol
- Help alleviate period pain
- Improve post-menopausal disorders
- Counteract fatigue, improve physical endurance
In South Korea tiny shops can still be found stocked to the rafters with powders, potions, lotions and tinctures wrapped in vivid red and gold packaging, made from the root of the ginseng plant. Pale, bulbous, many-limbed roots bristling with hair-like tendrils float foetus-like in liquid in metre-high specimen jars, looking like alien forms of life, or science experiments gone terribly wrong.
Geumsan Province, in central South Korea, is famous for its natural ginseng and in centuries past, villagers hunting through the cool, wet mountain valleys for the tell-tale sign of a small white flower on a long stem, would exclaim the ancient traditional cry: “Shimboakdda!” It is the Korean version of “Eureka!” and finding a large, well-formed ginseng root was like finding a gold nugget. Carefully dug up, with its hair roots intact, an undamaged specimen could fetch enough money to pay for the purchase of land or a house.
The word “ginseng” originates from the Chinese words “jen” and “shen”, which literally means “root of man” because the ginseng root is said to resemble the shape of a human body. The first records of the prescription of ginseng as a medicinal herb appear in Shen-Nung Pen-Ts’ao-Ching (Shen-Nung Pharmacopoeia, AD456-536), one of the most highly regarded books on Oriental medicine.
Photo Credits
Korean food – Kimchi – Wikimedia Creative Commons
South Korea Pickling Jars – by Vincent Ross – All Rights Reserved
Korean food – Kimchi 2 – Wikimedia Creative Commons
Ginseng – Wikipedia Creative Commons
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