Kimchiology Series No.1 Humanistic Understanding of Kimchi and Kimjang Culture Compiled by World Institute of Kimchi Authors Kim, Kwangok Hwang, Kyeongsoon Park, Chaelin Jo, Jaesun Asakura, Toshio Zhao, Rongguang Liu, Xiaochun Kang, Jongwon Yoon, Dukno Kim, Ilgwon Han, Kyungkoo Translated by Sarah Kim World Institute of Kimchi Humanistic Understanding of Kimchi and Kimjang Culture Kimchiology Series No.1 Humanistic Understanding of Kimchi and Kimjang Culture First edition : November 26, 2014 Authors : Kim, Kwangok Hwang, Kyeongsoon Park, Chaelin Jo, Jaesun Asakura, Toshio Zhao, Rongguang Liu, Xiaochun Kang, Jongwon Yoon, Dukno Kim, Ilgwon Han, Kyungkoo Publisher : World Institute of Kimchi Address : 86 Kimchi-ro, Nam-gu, Gwangju city, Korea Telephone : 82-62-610-1700, Fax: 82-62-610-1850 Homepage : www.wikim.re.kr Planned by Park Wan-soo Translated by Sarah Kim Designed by Green and Blue Printed by Cana CNP co ISBN 978-89-962084-8-8 World Institute of Kiimchi, 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. From the Publisher In 2001, kimchi was registered at Codex, an international recognition of kimchi which is the representative traditional fermented food of Korea. Again in 2006, kimchi was selected as one of the five health foods of the world. On December 5, 2013, at the 8th Intergovernmental Meeting for Safeguarding the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages, the registration of ‘Kimjang: Making and Sharing’ in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was confirmed. It is upon this happy occasion that Korea received a boost of distinction in the world, which is considered another recognition of the cultural value of kimchi, kimchi making and sharing, and Korea’s status as a leading country in food culture. Such recent developments helped the governmental kimchi related organizations accelerate their efforts for the globalization of kimchi. Besides such natural scientific aspects such as the recipe, nutrients, and ingredients, the globalization of the food of a country requires a study of humanities and subject related aspects. Thus far, however, there has been something of a less than balanced approach for the globalization of kimchi as most research and interests in kimchi have leaned too much towards the natural science aspects. Kimchi and kimjang culture (making and sharing kimchi) is a soley Korean tradition that has continued for thousands of years and is still being practiced in the 21st century. In-depth and extensive studies on humanistic and social elements of kimjang culture, or the cultural phenomenon from the production of kimchi ingredients to making and sharing, in addition to the oral tradition surrounding kimchi, makes it a unique culture transcending a mere food. Implanting this idea in the minds of people around the world is believed the most effective way to globalize kimchi and Korean food. Thus far, humanistic studies on kimchi that are closest to the life of Koreans have been sporadic and fragmentary. World Institute of Kimchi strives to establish an independent field of study on kimchi under the term ‘kimchiology’ which will encompass the predominant natural scientific research that exists in kimchi studies while opening up research from the perspectives of the humanities and social science. The Institute held ‘The 1st Kimchiology Symposium’ in November 2013. The papers and discussions presented and discussed at the symposium has been compiled into this book under the title <Humanistic Understanding of Kimchi and Kimjang Culture>, the first book of the kimchiology series. This book is also to congratulate the registration of “kimjang: Making and Sharing Kimchi” as the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and to promote humanistic understanding of kimchi and kimjang culture and share its values with the Korean people. I would like to have your kind understanding that as it is only a beginning stage of kimchiology, and this book might have some insufficiencies. My sincere thanks for authors who willingly participate in the establishment of kimchiology and wrote excellent articles for <Humanistic Understanding of Kimchi and Kimjang Culture>. Park Wan-soo President World Institute of Kimchi November , 2014 Contents From the Publisher 4 1. The Coming of the Humanistic Approach for Kimchiology : 9 Cultural Anthropology of Kimjang and Kimchi Kim, Kwangok 2. Kimjang culture as an intangible cultural heritage and the role of 25 communities in the concerned territory Hwang, Kyeongsoon 3. Korean Kimjang culture: 39 history, significance and future Park, Chaelin 4. Kimchi Ingredients and Changes in Kimchi Recipes Jo, Jaesun 83 5. Korean Kimchi and Japanese Tsukemono Asakura, Toshio 111 6. History of the Chinese pickled vegetable, description of cultural 139 image Zhao, Rongguang 7. Salted Vegetables and the Food Culture of the Keijiazu Familes 161 in Guangdong Region Liu, Xiaochun 8. Modernization and continuation of Kimjang culture Kang, Jongwon 177 9. Economic significance of the changes in Kimchi recipes Yoon, Dukno 203 10. Food Chapters in the Encyclopedia of the Joseon Dynasty and 231 Food Ecology. Kim, Ilgwon 11. Cultural anthropology of Kimchi and Kimjang, Han, Kyungkoo 259 01 The Coming of the Humanistic Approach for Kimchiology : Cultural Anthropology of Kimjang and Kimchi Kim, Kwangok Professor Emeritus, Seoul National University Kimchi as a side dish, Kimchi as a culture ‘Bread and butter’is almost as idiomatic an expression in the western world as‘ rice and kimchi’or‘ where needle goes, thread follows’in Korea. The expressions refer to a combination of two essential elements that make up an indispensable pair. In everyday life, jam is more preferred, and‘ bread and jam’would be a more appropriate expression. Jam reminds me of the movie <The Pianist>. A Czech pianist hiding in the ruins of a building deserted for a long time was found by a German officer. At the request of the officer he played the piano and the officer began favoring him. The officer gave the pianist a little bit of jam. After the pianist received it and put it in his mouth, a close-up scene shows him looking extremely happy. Kimchi is so common a side dish for Koreans that they don’t feel cravings for it in everyday life. Koreans would feel the same were they to have a taste of kimchi after a long overseas trip or hospitalization with imposed dietary controls. While the deep nutty taste of fat is the core of western dietary life,‘ light and cheerful with a tang to it’taste of kimchi in optimum fermentation is Korea’s. The importance of kimchi in the dietary life of Koreans can be compared to jam and butter for westerners’. 10 While kimchi is tangible, the intangible aspect of making and consuming it represents a social and cultural activity of Korea. kimchi has also been a subject of literature, history and philosophical thoughts for Koreans as being a must item along with rice in the dietary life of Koreans. In other words, kimchi is not a mere object people see and eat. It represents ritual, values, symbol, knowledge, technical know-how, and an independent activity producing and changing artistic values and beauties as often expressed in the term‘ the color and charm’of food. For the establishment of kimchiology, here I propose to review the meaning and value of kimchi based on the three elements of people, time and location. kimchi is a composite cultural phenomenon1 and the procedure of its production and consumption is beyond science. It is a production process of cultural and social values with historical and regional society’s elements combined.2 Various Kinds of Kimchi, Complexity of History and Culture In the past, ‘a fermented side dish made of various vegetables, fruits, roots, fish, meat as main ingredients with salt and some seasonings added’ generally defined kimchi. These days, fermented Chinese cabbages and/or radish with garlic, pepper and salt mixed in them is considered standard kimchi. Varying in different localities and household, various ingredients such as green onion, ginger, sesame, water parsley, fish sauce, fish, meat, onion and others are selectively added for unique taste, look and color. There are various water kimchis as well according to the amount of water used. The various kimchi ingredients and recipes are related to the natural environment of 1_ Kim Kwang Ok, “Cultural Anthropology of the Korean foods”, Korean Foods and Health, Rural Development Administration, pp 4-23. 2_ Kim Kwang Ok, “Production of Foods and Consumption of Culture: Introduction”, Cultural Anthropology of Korea, 1994, pp 7-50. 11 respective regions and they also reflect social and cultural aspects of the region. Why are people willing to make special efforts to create different recipes when a plain dish would be enough to gratify the stomach? It is because human beings have a natural desire aspiring for discrimination in taste, look and color.3 The regional and historical variety of kimchi tells of human being’s innate creativity and complex cultural and historical contents. The extensive variety of kimchi and the regional and historical differences of kimchi are the results of the human being’s innate creativity and they contain various cultural and historical contents beyond a mere adaptation to natural environment in producing kimchi ingredients. For example, according to soil and climate, food ingredients may vary respective of regions. The economic and technological development diversified farming and distribution systems. The growing gap in social and economic status between the rich and the poor also brought differences in food. Villages, regions, and each household come to have their unique recipes and tradition in kimchi ingredients, making, and sharing.