• 한국식생활문화학회지
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• 제36권3호
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• pp.274-283
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• 2021

What is the origin of kimchi and what changes did it go through to become the kimchi of today? Also, what makes kimchi different from other pickled vegetables such as Chinese paochai, Japanese tsukemono, and Western pickles, and sauerkraut, and what is the identity of kimchi? This study is the result of thought on these fundamental questions about kimchi which is the only pickled vegetable distributed around the world that uses a fermented and ripened animal seasoning called jeotgal (salted marine life) to dramatically improve its umami taste and nutritional value, thereby securing its uniqueness. Kimchi has further evolved into a unique and high-quality pickled vegetable through the use of its specialized seasoning, adopting a composite fermentation mechanism and absorbing new ingredients such as red pepper. It is expected that this paper will invigorate the discussion on the firm establishment of the identity of kimchi and the future direction that it may take.