Magazine F – Issue 12: Kimchi

Magazine F is a food documentary magazine co-created by Magazine B and Baemin, which introduces one particular ingredient that has had a significant impact on people’s table.

Baemin has become a critical mover and shaker in South Korean contemporary food culture, and B provides a balanced view on brands through multi-layered stories. This collaboration brings together these two areas of expertise in F, which is hoped to become a record of essential ingredients and food culture of our time.

THIS ISSUE

Kimchi is a millennia-old, preserved food of Korea, and kimjang, the making and sharing of kimchi to be eaten over winter months, was designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. Napa cabbages and Korean radishes are salted, coated in red pepper powder, garlic, and other savory ingredients, and then left to ferment. As each family developed their own recipe, kimchi became more diverse with each passing generation. Kimchidok crocks kept in the ground have been replaced by refrigerators in the home specifically for kimchi storage—evincing the everlasting symbolism of kimchi on the Korean table. Today, fermentation is a major trend in gastronomy culture, and this naturally fermented, probiotic-rich food is revered worldwide.