A person making kimchi Photo: CFP

Having been back from her one-year study in South Korea for four years, Wang Xin still often misses kimchi, a South Korean dish of fermented vegetables.

Last weekend, she traveled to a market in Wudaokou, an area in western Beijing where many South Koreans gather, to buy original kimchi. A store selling the preserved vegetables near her apartment was recently closed, and she prefers to go a long way for the authentic flavor she was used to instead of making do with something similar from the local supermarket.

Kimchi is probably one of the most significant representatives of Korean culinary culture as whenever it is mentioned, people outside South Korea instantly connect it to the Asian country.

Nearly all South Koreans grow up having kimchi on their dinner table and the food always reminds them of mom's cooking.

"In the past every South Korean household had urns for pickling kimchi. Now many find it inconvenient to make kimchi by themselves in apartments and hence kimchi urns are no longer a necessity, but in their fridges there will be Lock & Lock boxes crammed with kimchi bought in the stores," Wang told the Global Times.

"They have a deep emotional dependence on the dish," she added.

Kimchi's consumption used to be small in spring, summer and autumn but peaked in winter as there was limited availability of fresh vegetables. Traditionally in South Korea, neighborhoods would join together in late autumn to make a large quantity of kimchi that could last them throughout the cold season.

This kind of collectively making and sharing kimchi, known as kimjang, was included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in early December, which was accompanied by Chinese zhusuan - knowledge and practices of mathematical calculation through the abacus.

Daily dish

The inclusion of kimjang marks the sixth dietary culture enlisted by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage, with the other five being French gastronomy, traditional Mexican cuisine, the Mediterranean diet, Turkey's ceremonial Keskek tradition and Washoku, the traditional dietary culture of the Japanese.

"The dietary culture embodies the unique characteristics of a nation and together they constitute the diversity of human culture," Liu Kuili, deputy director of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Experts Committee, told the Global Times.

South Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) had intended to submit "kimchi and kimjang" for the list, but the UNESCO committee thought this may be taken as recognition of a particular dish, which could be abused for commercial use. As a result only kimjang was enlisted.

There are regional differences and families would use varied ways and ingredients in preparing kimchi, which gives it an important family uniqueness.

"Kimjang allows Koreans to practice the spirit of sharing among neighbors, while promoting solidarity and providing them a sense of identity and belonging," said the UNESCO committee.

Dying out

In November around 3,000 women gathered outside Seoul City Hall to perform a mass kimchi-making exercise, AFP reported. In just four hours, they churned out 250 tons of kimchi.

"I'd like our children to learn how to make it, just so they know this is how their grandmothers and ancestors have made delicious, fresh homemade kimchi for centuries," Jin Hae-kyung, one of the women, was quoted by AFP as saying.

However, there are concerns that kimjang may face dying out as people in urban areas, especially younger generations, are less likely to make kimchi collectively with neighbors and more often just buy factory-made products from the supermarkets.

Besides, South Korea has been challenged with a "kimchi deficit" since 2006 (except for 2009), as it imports more kimchi than it exports, mainly from China.

Statistics from the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp showed that in 2012 South Korea's kimchi exports stood at $106.6 million, with 80 percent to Japan. But imports hit $110.8 million, of which 90 percent came from China because Chinese-made kimchi is much cheaper.

Despite these concerns, Kim Seung-suk, who teaches Korean cooking and dietary culture in Beijing, is optimistic about kimjang's future, noting that the culture will not disappear easily.

"It binds family members and it's rooted deeply in the Korean family culture," Kim told the Global Times.

"It's not clear if the inscription would help (promote kimjang) or not, but it has given an opportunity for Korean people to think about the importance of kimjang," she added.

South Korea now has a global research institute for kimchi, a kimchi culture festival and a kimchi museum to promote the centuries-old national dish.

No rush

The enlisting of kimjang has sparked heated response in China, a country well-known for its abundant varieties of cuisines.

Chinese Net users posted comments on Sina Weibo, complaining as to why China so far has no dietary culture enlisted and suggesting potential options. Some Net users suggested that China's preserved vegetables, popular in southwest and northeast regions, should be enlisted.

"I think many just see kimchi instead of kimjang culture as the one inscribed. Honestly it's hard to find such a dish that is favored by the entire nation as people in different areas of China have their own preferences," Wang said.

Liu, the professor, said actually China has considered various elements for submission to the UNESCO committee, but it is technically difficult to carry out as there are too many varieties included.

"There is no need for us to worry about China's absence in getting its cuisines enlisted. We have a large pool of important cultural elements, which are significant to Chinese people and the humanity at large, to submit for intangible cultural heritage," Liu said.

Park Gayoung contributed to this story