Why Do Koreans Share Kimchi in November?

Do you like kimchi?

Koreans eat kimchi every single day. If I have to pick just one side dish to eat with rice, I would say, “kimchi, of course.”

With more than 300 types, kimchi is refreshing, tangy, sour, spicy, harmonious, and most importantly, good for your health.

November is an important month.

It’s a month for Kimjang, an act of making large quantities of kimchi at once to eat during the winter. Around mid-November to early December, neighbors and families gather around to do Kimjang together.

The process of making kimchi can be arduous.

On average, a family with 4 members usually buys 15 ~ 30 heads of cabbage to make kimchi. If 4 families do Kimjang, that’s 120 heads of cabbage (30 * 4 = 120).

That’s why people gather around to do Kimjang together and share with each other. That way, everything gets much easier.

Kimjang takes place in November because a temperature of 0℃ ~ 4℃ is best to make and preserve kimchi.

Kimjang depicts Koreans’ communal culture of sharing.

On December 5, 2013, the UNESCO designated the culture of Kimjang as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Yesterday, November 22, was Kimchi Day.

It’s a day to appreciate Koreans’ soul food. November 22 has been designated as Kimchi Day because Kimchi is made by mixing more than 11 kinds of seafood and has more than 22 health benefits (11/22).