They have more than 200 years of combined kimchi experience, but ask any one of South Korea’s most esteemed kimchi makers the secret to a good one and you will get a different answer.
“Delicious kimchi begins with good ingredients,” said Lee Hayeon, 65, one of five people designated as a “Korean Food Grand Master” by South Korea’s agriculture department, which gives the title to makers across various categories, including liquor, tea and jang.
The Times spoke to all five current kimchi masters to learn what their kimchi journeys might teach a lover of this foundational Korean dish. All of the masters expressed concern about changes in how kimchi is made and consumed. Each of them waxed lyrical about the health benefits of traditional kimchi, but they worry about the rise of mass-produced, exported kimchi.
Haemul-Seokbakji
Lee Hayeon, Master of Seafood Kimchi
Ms. Lee’s signature kimchi bears little resemblance to the spicy red cabbage kimchi found at Korean restaurants the world over. The stars of her kimchi are five different types of seafood — abalone, conch, octopus, oysters and raw shrimp — along with cabbage, garlic and gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder).
