Kimuchi!
Kimchi is a popular dish in Korea that has made it's way as a favorite among many Japanese. Called Kimuchi in Japanese, the flavor and production methods vary slightly from the original Korean recipe while still maintaining a delicious, spicy flavor. Japanese Kimuchi varies slightly from the original Korean dish in a couple ways, the most prominent being that Japanese Kimuchi is not fermented. While this may not make it true kimchi
by the standards of the Codex Alimentarious (the organization that defines voluntary standards for food preparation for international trade purposes), both forms are greatly enjoyed by the Japanese people. Nowadays, it's not uncommon to be served Japanese Kimuchi at a yakiniku restaurant, or Korean establishments in Japan. There are some who feel Japan has attempted to steal
kimchi from Korean culture by changing the preparation. However, the Japanese recognize Kimchi as a Korean creation, and have adapted the flavors to better suit there tastes
Japanese kimuchi uses cabbages, salt, bok choy, carrots, scallions or green onions, cucumbers, garlic, dried mild red pepper, peeled and grated ginger, and cayenne. The flavor is similar to Korean Kimchi, but a Kimchi purist could probably tell the difference with little difficulty. Care to test your taste buds? Ask your tour guide where you can get Japanese kimuchi during your vacation with Japan Deluxe Tours and see if you can notice the difference.
