Kimchi throughout millennia: a narrative review on the early and modern history of kimchi

Kimchi, the traditional fermented vegetable dish from Korea, has been an integral part of the Korean food culture for thousands of years. Today, it is considered as a symbol of identity for Korean people and is globally appraised as a healthy food. The international standard of kimchi was stipulated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2001, and kimjang, the traditional Korean communal activity of making kimchi, was listed as a UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. The international recognition that kimchi has today was not obtained easily since there have been international disputes with regard to its standard and originality. Many historical events have shaped the face of kimchi as it is today. Thus, it appears primordial to understand the hallmark historical events defining the development of kimchi from a traditional food consumed by only Koreans in the past to a renowned global healthy food today. This review explores the historical values of kimchi by focusing on both its early and modern history. The early history of kimchi gathered from different classical literature works suggests the existence of kimchi in Korea since thousands of years ago. The modern history of kimchi highlights different events, including the globalization and commercialization of kimchi, the “kimchi wars” against neighboring countries and the international branding of kimchi as a healthy food. Furthermore, this review also discusses the polemics of kimchi, particularly in terms of its originality. Understanding the historical values of kimchi would make people see kimchi not only as an ethnic food from Korea, but also as a valuable global heritage for the world that needs preserving.