Except for the exceptions. :smack: I should have known better than to make a completely blanket assertion.
This is true. You can get ‘old’ kimchi in many stores. But you’re not going to mistake it for anything that needs to ferment longer. And, it really can get just a little funkier. But it’s not a huge difference. Mostly slight differences in taste. It helps to leave it out on a warm day.
There is also some truly old kimchi you can get (aged 2-3 years) that’s pretty much not going to get any funkier. I’m not sure if you can find it most places in the US, but it exists.
My post is still valid for most normal store bought kimchi, though.
Got-jori (unfermented kimchi) is still considered kimchi. I remember when my mom’s side of the family used to have kimjang (kimchi making) days and at the end of the day we would eat the gotjori with steamed pork.
Okay, you will have to go to a Korean Market to get freshly made - “yet” fermented kimchi.
I’ve been eating kimchi for a while now (here and in Korea) to know what kimchi should taste like in all its fermentation stages. What I tasted was a distinct ‘gone bad’ funk & taste (somewhat wee bit similar to the funk damp clothes develop if not dried out right away and definitely NOT the over-fermented taste) that I’ve never tasted from kimchi before. Some people told me to let the “bad” kimchi continue to ferment further: it got better but the hint of the funk was still there, at least to me.
Also from what I know fermentation happens at 70F degree; correct me if I’m wrong. Koreans bury their kimchi during the winter (at least they used to before the introduction of “kimchi fridge”) because winter ground temp is perfect for fermenting(?) and keeping kimchi at a certain/perfect stage of fermentation stage until spring time (I assume “kimchi fridge” is mimicking this effect of winter ground temp). Since, from what I know, these winter "kimjang"kimchi are not pre-fermented (see step 6 & 7) before they are buried, so apparently 70F degree is not necessary?
Fermentation happens at a wide range of temperatures. The temperature range and time determines what type of microorganisms dominate. If you want the nitty gritty, you can read this PDF. The conclusion comes down to:
I don’t like the subjective word “tasty” there, but the temperature range they seem to find optimal is 45-57 F.
Koreans do have the concept of “kimchi gone bad”. My Western friends always joke about “how would anyone know if kimchi has gone bad” but it does. It’s different from mook-eun-ji, which is the 3-year-old kimchi that has been allowed to ferment slowly.
In middle school, the hot summer temperatures would occasionally cause the kimchi in someone’s backpack to explode and the whole classroom would smell like sour kimchi. Yuck.
Interesting kimchi conversation, I have tried to make my own a few times but it always seems to come out too salty. I love all kinds of kimchi too; cucumber, radish, green onion, etc. I once had some with raw oyster in it that kinda squicked me out though.
I looked up the show on my Tivo, but I seem to be a bit late, darn. I lived with a Korean woman for the first 6 years of my life and I still remember the amazing smell of garlic and pepper on her hands for days after making big batches of kimchi (which she would then bury in big pots in the garden.)
I love all kinds of Korean foods but my favorite is kalbi; spicy squid w/ a big bowl of rice is a close second.
