Kimchius
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Fermentation

Five stages, one jar

Kimchi has no finish line. It moves from raw and sweet through sharp and sour to something round and funky, and each point on that curve is good for something different. Knowing where your jar sits is most of the skill.

  1. 겉절이

    Geotjeori

    Day 0–2

    1. Fresh

    Crunches like a salad. Raw garlic, sweet pear, clean salt. The brine hasn't turned yet.

    Eat it like this

    Cold, straight from the bowl, next to hot rice. Or piled onto grilled pork belly while it still snaps.

    At its best here

  2. 익는 중

    Ikneun-jung

    Day 3–7

    2. Turning

    First bubbles. A tingle of carbonation, the tang arriving underneath the sweetness.

    Eat it like this

    The window most people miss. Eat it plain and pay attention to what changes each day.

    At its best here

  3. 익은 김치

    Ikeun-kimchi

    Week 2–4

    3. Ripe

    Balanced. Sour, savoury and deep all at once. This is what people mean when they say kimchi.

    Eat it like this

    Everything. Stew, pancakes, dumpling filling, fried rice — or nothing at all, straight from the jar.

    At its best here

  4. 신김치

    Shin-kimchi

    Month 2–6

    4. Sour

    Sharp acid. The leaf softens and the colour darkens toward brick red.

    Eat it like this

    Kimchi jjigae and fried rice. Heat rounds the edge off and turns the sourness into depth.

    At its best here

  5. 묵은지

    Mugeunji

    Year 1+

    5. Aged

    The acid mellows into something round and funky, almost sweet. Prized, not tolerated.

    Eat it like this

    Braised for hours with pork belly until the leaves go silky. Rinse it first if it is very old.

    At its best here