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Kimjang is the Korean late-autumn tradition in which families and neighbours make kimchi, seasoned and fermented vegetables, in large batches to last the winter.

UNESCO Intangible Heritage

HistoryHealthFood

The story behind the card

UNESCO added kimjang to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2013, recognising the shared practice rather than any single recipe. The work usually begins in November, when cabbages and radishes are harvested and the weather turns cold. Napa cabbages are split, salted overnight and rinsed, then rubbed with a paste of chilli flakes, garlic, ginger, spring onion and fish sauce or salted seafood. Families traditionally packed the kimchi into earthenware jars called onggi and buried them in the ground, where the steady cool kept it fermenting slowly through the winter. Because the job is heavy, relatives and neighbours take turns helping one another's households, and part of the kimchi is often shared with people who cannot make their own.

Türkçe oku
Kimjang, Kore'de aile ve komşuların sonbahar sonunda bir araya gelip kışa yetecek kadar kimchi, yani baharatlı ve fermente sebze hazırladığı gelenektir.

UNESCO, kimjang'ı Aralık 2013'te İnsanlığın Somut Olmayan Kültürel Mirası listesine aldı; tanınan şey tek bir tarif değil, bu ortak gelenekti. İş genellikle kasım ayında, lahana ve turp hasadı bitip havalar soğuyunca başlar. Çin lahanaları ikiye bölünür, bir gece tuzda bekletilip yıkanır, sonra pul biber, sarımsak, zencefil, taze soğan ve balık sosu ya da tuzlanmış deniz ürünleriyle hazırlanan bir harçla ovulur. Eskiden kimchi onggi denen toprak küplere doldurulup toprağa gömülürdü; toprağın sabit serinliği fermantasyonun kış boyunca yavaş yavaş sürmesini sağlardı. İş ağır olduğu için akrabalar ve komşular sırayla birbirlerinin evine yardıma gider; kimchinin bir kısmı da kendi kimchisini yapamayanlarla paylaşılır.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Kimjang
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