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One of the main reasons I came to South Korea was to learn how to make traditional kimchi.

As a cook, I had tried fermenting cabbage several times, but I was never sure whether my kimchi was like the one in Seoul.

So I traveled to the capital of South Korea for a few days to get to know the local culinary culture.

Right from the start, I was fascinated by Seoul with its modern architecture and the exclusively smartly dressed men and women.

In contrast to many other Asian metropolises, Seoul is green, there are many parks and flowers everywhere.

In between are embedded multi-lane city highways and wealthy high-rise districts such as the Gangnam District, made famous by the song "Gangnam Style" by Psy.

Around ten million people live in the metropolis, which seemed like a fairytale land to me: I discovered underpasses with avenues of trees.

Underground train stations with parks and light shafts.

In short: the city made a livable, vital impression on me.

And the food went well with it: rich in vitamins and a real taste explosion - salty, sour, spicy!

The food

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On the evening of my first day, I went to a barbecue restaurant recommended to me.

As a greeting from the kitchen I received kimchi, pickled radishes and radish, wasabi and soy sauce.

In so many Asian countries I missed out on vegetables - there were plenty of them here.

At last!

The spectrum of flavors was extremely broad, and I still remember the diverse dishes to this day.

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My enthusiasm for South Korean food also stems from the fact that I love the combination of saltiness, acidity and spiciness that is common in South Korea.

The best example: Kimchi, the national dish.

It is fermented cabbage, mostly Chinese cabbage.

Kimchi is rich in vitamin C and extremely healthy because it cleanses the intestinal flora and strengthens the immune system.

In South Korea, kimchi is eaten in many different ways: sometimes it's very red (that's because of the chilli), sometimes less.

Sometimes the cabbage is cut into cubes, sometimes into strips.

Sometimes it is served with silken tofu, sometimes without.

I was happy (and also a little proud) to find that the kimchi from my own kitchen was close to the original.

But I also liked other dishes: The rice - a short-grain rice - was juicy and at the same time less sticky than normal sushi rice, as we know it in Japan.

I tried a number of dishes that I had never seen before, including fermented vegetables and fish, special rice cakes made from rice flour and jelly balls.

My journey through the Korean worlds of taste was so inspiring that I would have loved not to stop feasting.

Then there was the extraordinary presentation: once I was able to enjoy a piece of meat that was cut like a blooming rose.

The tip

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Sometimes I wish we would have more courage in this country to use acid.

And more courage to ferment.

Fermenting means to make it last a little longer: Food comes under a layer of salt and is placed in a covered container.

The healthy lactic acid bacteria form within a few days.

Kimchi, one of the best fermented dishes for me, is very easy to prepare yourself.

There is no standard recipe.

We do it in the following way: the head of cabbage - you can take all kinds of cabbage - cut into pieces, moisten well with water, then add salt, wash off the salt after two hours and let the cabbage dry.

The cabbage is then massaged in a marinade made from chilli flakes, fish sauce - or dried shrimp or oysters - and rice vinegar.

Put the whole thing in a container (it can also be a bag), close it well, ideally vacuum seal it, and let it ferment for five to six days in a warm place.

And then: Well get it!

If you have never eaten kimchi, you may have to get used to the sour, spicy taste.

But it's worth it.

The star chef Julia Komp, head chef at Cologne's “Lokschuppen”, went on a world tour from January 2019 to March 2020 to explore the culinary culture of other countries.

Every week it takes readers of WELT AM SONNTAG to a different country.