Kimchi crisis: How climate change is impacting South Korea’s favourite pickle
Koreans based in the UAE share how significant the fermented dish is to their culture
Climate change is now affecting culinary traditions. The South Korean kimchi crisis is a key example.
Kimchi, a pickled vegetable dish quintessential to Korean cuisine, has become a luxury to make and buy for many in the South East Asian country.
A climate change-induced shortage of cabbages increased prices this year and residents across South Korea have had to look for alternative ways to make and consume the dish or bear the increased prices. According to a report by The Washington Post, the prices of cabbage have doubled this year in Korea.
Korean expats in the UAE acknowledged this effect and what it means to their nation’s tradition of making kimchi.
Government efforts to curb prices
According to a report by Reuters, the South Korean government recently laid out plans to construct two massive cabbage storage facilities.
At 9,900 square metres each, the facilities are to be built in the rural counties of Goesan and Haenam. They will be able to store 10,000 tonnes of cabbages and pickle 50 tonnes of cabbages daily. Construction, expected to cost taxpayers 58 billion won (Dh148 million), is due to be completed in 2025.
For local kimchi makers struggling to purchase sufficient cabbages at current high prices, government intervention to store the produce and supply the industry at affordable rates can't come soon enough.
A climate shift in recent years that has brought higher temperatures and heavier rain has damaged cabbage crops, decreasing supply. This year, prices of cabbages doubled in less than three months, part of a broad spike in inflation that reached a 24-year high in July.
Not just a dish, it’s a tradition
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish with ingredients that can vary but typically include some combination of vegetables, garlic, ginger, Korean chillies, salt, and fish sauce. The mix is pickled and fermented, which was originally a way to preserve the vegetables for the winter months.
Cabbage is the most common vegetable used to make kimchi. In some variations, carrots, radish, cucumber, and scallions are also used. There are hundreds of kimchi recipes that vary depending on the region and season in which they are produced.
Historically, Kimjang (tradition of making kimchi) brought together entire villages and neighbourhoods to turn hundreds of heads of cabbages into a source of food and nutrition for people, who had to bear long periods of deprivation and starvation. The kimchi was fermented and aged in underground pots called Onggi or modern refrigerators.
Not only is eating kimchi regularly a key part of Korean culinary heritage, but making the pickled dish is too. The term Kimjang means the tradition of making kimchi.
Historically, Kimjang brought together entire villages and neighbourhoods to turn hundreds of heads of cabbages into a source of food and nutrition for people, who had to bear long periods of deprivation and starvation. The kimchi was fermented and aged in underground pots called Onggi or modern refrigerators.
The tradition of Kimjang is so important to Korea’s identity that Unesco has it on its representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Korean expat based in Dubai, Jay Yoon also said, “When I was younger, the whole neighbourhood would set a day in the year to make kimchi together. However, that tradition has decreased. Now, people prefer buying it from the supermarket – it’s cheaper and nicer.”
When I was younger, the whole neighbourhood would set a day in the year to make kimchi together. However, that tradition has decreased. Now, people prefer buying it from the supermarket – it’s cheaper and nicer
South Koreans eat the pungent dish seven times a week on average, according to a 2020 survey by the Korea Rural Economic Institute, The Washington Post reported.
Yoon said that he eats kimchi on the regular. He said: “Kimchi is one of the most basic side dish for Korean people, so it's very common to have at least one [kind of] kimchi dish on the table.”
The dish’s popularity is reflected on the Korean stock market through the “Kimchi Index”. According to The Korea Herald, an English-language daily newspaper, the index indicates the costs of key ingredients to make the dish such as cabbage, salt, dried red pepper powder, and peeled garlic.
Cho Jang Yong, is a diplomatic counsellor based in Abu Dhabi. “It’s not just the cabbage prices that impact kimchi making, which have dropped slightly after rising in the last few months. The prices of garlic and pepper are also high,” said Yong, who has previously worked with the Ministry of Agriculture in South Korea.
It’s not just the cabbage prices that impact kimchi making, which have dropped slightly after rising in the last few months. The prices of garlic and pepper are also high.
When the prices of key ingredients rise, Koreans find alternatives to continue enjoying the dish. “There are several types of cabbages produced in different parts of South Korea, depending on that year’s harvest, people buy different types of cabbages. This is not the first time that the harvest was poor. It’s impossible to match supply and demand equally at all times,” Yong said.
He added that people in South Korea’s larger cities tend to buy kimchi from supermarkets rather than make it at home, as it was done in the past. The rise in prices mostly affect kimchi makers who sell their products to these markets.
Some amazing Kimchi recipes to try...
Climate change impacts your plate
Environmental changes have a direct impact on people’s plates, as observed in the recent “kimchi crisis” that people have termed it. Staple vegetables, fruits and grains are being impacted.
For instance, climate change is expected to affect the production of maize (corn) and wheat as early as 2030, according to a new American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) study. Whereas, warmer temperatures are forcing shorter harvest periods for grapes in parts of France and impacting farmers with limited resources and equipment.
- With inputs from Reuters