Baek or white Kimchi

There are SO MANY different kimchi recipes including this Baek (white) Kimchi whose history is rooted in Korea. It is called white kimchi because it lacks the red color and spice from the red chili or gochugaru which we take as characteristic of kimchi. But actually, some historians suggest that white or Baek Kimchi is an older method of making kimchi that predates the importing of red chilis to Korea. A Baek Kimchi is a very short ferment and is not intended to stay around long, but to be consumed quickly after just a few days of fermenting. It can be eaten as a side dish (banchan) or on top of a bowl of rice. The sweet taste of the Napa cabbage really comes through without the overpowering red spice of pepper and is lovely along with the sour and salty notes created from a short ferment.

This could be a new regular ferment for our summer market offerings. Keep an eye out for it and we look forward to hearing what you think.

If you are interested in giving this a try at home, we were inspired and followed quite closely the methods of Maangchi over at their website the celebrates Korean cooking and culture.