The Kimchi Revolution May Finally Be Here
The Los Angeles Times reports on the beloved Korean staple that's been mass-produced for nearly forty years by the L.A. based Cosmos Food Co. factory. Eight thousands pounds of kimchi are bottled daily to support a booming business that's found distribution in Costcos in California and Wal-Marts across the nation.
Just how do you make four tons of kimchi a day?
Production starts with whole Napa cabbages that go through a largely mechanized process. However, the last step requires human hands to lovingly pack the kimchi into the jars so that the fermentation doesn't get too crazy and release excess gas. Kimchi explosion, anyone? I'm skeptical of store-bought kimchi, but has anyone tried a version worth buying again?
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13 Comments:
I buy the gigantic cosmos buckets all the time. Everytime I make Kim Chee stew it just takes so much.
Usually needs to sit outside on the counter overnight the day I buy it from the store before I put it in the fridge for additional fermentation. But that's just my taste.
The galleria market brand stuff is pretty good too. Somehow I like the cosmos one better.
lysine at 7:29PM on 04/23/09
Did anyone see the Andrew Zimmern where he goes to the kimchi factory in Seoul? It's incredible- they add the spice mixture leaf by leaf.
Kimchi is one of those foods I wish I liked, like raw tomatoes. Fermented cabbage just ain't my thang.
DanielJ at 7:53PM on 04/23/09
Kimchi Revolution? Not a minute too soon!
And it's not just the well-known cabbage. There are also cucumber, radish, and green onion. Who knows what else? (Well, someone on SE will come along who does.)
One of the most satisfying things to eat is kimchi w/ steamed rice.
TikiPundit at 8:07PM on 04/23/09
After living in Korea for 8 months, I've had my fill of the fermented spicy stuff, thank you very much.... o_0
downhillguru at 8:18PM on 04/23/09
I have yet to try kimchi, I like sauerkraut, I wonder if I'd like kimchi. There's no shortage of good Korean restaurants and places to buy ingredients here.
chanterelle at 8:37PM on 04/23/09
The kim chee at Fort Street Sundries is one of the best in Honolulu. It won 1st place in our blind taste test of 10 store-bought local kim chees. The taste test involved only won bok kim chee. I heard the shop owner prepares and bottles the kim chee herself in small batches. Fort Street Sundries kim chee is a store bought version that's worth trying again. 2nd and 3rd place came from the local Korean markets, Queen's Market and Waimalu Market on Oahu. Those were delicious too.
ilikegrind at 9:38PM on 04/23/09
Most store-bought kimchi I've had is usually good, but overall I think its better to make at home, especially since its hard to find non-napa-kimchi outside of Korean markets. Water kimchi, cucumber kimchi, chives kimchi....good good stuff, and not all of it spicy.
Mrs_T at 10:02PM on 04/23/09
A good Korean/Asian market will have their own batch. I like the variety between markets. No kimchee is the same...sometimes even from the same vendor. I personally love the stuff. I have some anytime I eat Asian cuisine...and sometimes when I'm just having a sandwich....and sometimes on a sandwich. Restaurant wise, the best I've had (though small in portion) is at Dok Suni's in NYC. Great stuff...also great spicy squid there at Dok Suni's.
rovingfork at 10:11PM on 04/23/09
m2m in NYC also carries some legit mass produced kimchi. I cant get enough of the stuff...
nikonratm at 11:59PM on 04/23/09
All the manufactured kimchi I had in America sucked. Look at the difference between the jars/bottles in America and the bags in Korea--or even better, compare it to the kimchi factory in the Bizarre Foods episode. In Korea, kimchi is smothered in paste, and the paste ferments the cabbage. In America, it's put in a liquid brine and treated like a pickle.
ZenKimchi at 1:11AM on 04/24/09
I buy my kimchi at a korean deli on 98th and bway, it's delicious and plentiful.
simon at 1:57AM on 04/24/09
Vive la révolution!!!! Or, better yet, 오래 살고 혁명 !!!!
It hasn't come a second too soon. I LOVE kimchi. Home made is always better, but you know what? Good prepared is pretty great also.
My dad lived in Korea for about 10 years and he hates the stuff. Can't even look at it without snarky comments about how disgusting it is. He can't believe I sprang (figuratively) from his loins. Of course this is a man for whom ketchup is a walk on the wild side.
I read this earlier and it set up the craving. I ran to a deli by work and bought a jar. I had the best dinner ever of hot white rice topped by cold kimchi. Heaven.
chisai at 8:22PM on 04/24/09
Gam Mee Oak (specializing in oxbone soup aka sul-lung-tang) in NYC's K-town has bar-none the best ggak-doo-gee around (that's the radish kimchee made with moo). Their secret ingredient: seven-up!
bettyconfetti at 9:59PM on 07/01/09