In praise of Kimchi

Kimchi is a fermented food.  It is a staple in Korean diets.  It is said that in both Koreas a side of (home made) Kimchi is considered to be obligatory at each and every meal.

Fermented foods are reckoned to be a great source of natural probiotics, and an excellent aid to digestion.

Westerners are familiar with other fermented foods such as Sauerkraut, Yogurt and Kefir. There are many others, (Beer?)

I use Kefir on my breakfast cereal, though for the life of me I cannot understand why some Kefirs have to be flavoured!

Yogurt is also a good fermented food, but those over-expensive little tubs of flavoured yogurts which are sold in supermarkets are often laden with sugars and chemical flavorings,

The best Yogurt I ever had was when I was on holiday in Greece.  It was a breakfast staple, with some fabulous dark honey stirred in,

Fermented foods have been a part of the diet of many cultures for aeons.  The "ancients" have a wisdom which we are forgetting.

Back to Kimchi.  I get mine at a local supermarket (where it is a bit pricey and slightly bland). Maybe I should learn to make my own.

Kimchi was my side dish yesterday and today, with  sautéed pork cutlets and sweet potatoes.

Kiimchi  (a photo' from the web)

The only brand which is available in my local Supermarket.

The ingredients seem to be very "sound".

I've come a long way from the bland and over-cooked meats and veggies which were the norm when I grew up in the U.K.  

But they were prepared by the loving hands of my fabulous Mum. 

I think of her every day.