Kimchi can be divided into many kinds according to its main materials, shape, kinds and usage of side materials. According to a report of a research institute, even if it is divided only by its main materials, there are 25 kinds of baechu kimchi; Korean cabbage kimchi, 62 of radish, 10 of cucumber, and 21 of other vegetables, totally 187 kinds.
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Kimchi is divided into four-season kimchi and kimjang kimchi ( kimch for winter) depending on the time of salting the vegetables, and the four-season kimchi is divided into various kinds by its main materials. In summer, they use fewer flavors and taste is fresh and light, while they use more flavors and there are many kinds of materials in winter.
In spring, young and fresh Korean cabbage kimchi and Nabak; watery radish kimchi attract appetite, in summer, young radish kimchi and cucumber kimchi ease the hot weather. Uncut Korean cabbage kimchi, sliced white radish kimchi, ponytail kimchi, sesame leaves kimchi are made in fall, and uncut Korean cabbage kimchi, watery radish kimchi, sliced white radish kimchi, ponytail kimchi are mainly made during winter.
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Generally, kimchi refers to uncut Korean cabbage kimchi. In the cold northern area, saltless kimchi which contains a little bit of powdered red pepper and salted fish, such as Korean cabbage kimchi, bundle kimch, and watery radish kimchi is pervasive, while in the warm southern area, they use a lot of powdered red pepper and salt.
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As a side dish in winter, kimjang kimchi is made in early winter and eaten until the next spring when fresh spring vegetables come out. However, thanks to green house cultivation, vegetables are produced all four years, recently, the amount of kimjang kimchi is getting decreased.
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Filling stuffing inside the roots makes Baechu kimchi. This is a typical kind of kimjang kimchi all around Korea even though there’s a little difference in taste depending on areas. This kimchi tastes different by flavor put into stuffing. However, the most important thing to decide the taste of the kimchi is salting, since the touched feeling when chewed and the taste are determined by salting technics. Uncut Korean cabbage is better to be salted with brine because if it's pickled only with salt, water in baechu can't be extracted well. When the salted water is too salty, the leaves are salted too fast while the trunk has not been pickled enough yet. And if the time to salt is too long, the taste of kimchi is not good because the sweet taste of baechu gets diminished.
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Kkactuki is one of the most common kimchi with baechu kimchi in Korea. To avoid breaking vitamin, you're better cut the radish by big slices. When you put raw oyster into kkactugi, it makes the kimchi more nutritive as well as better taste, since oyster contains protein, calcium, ferrum and vitamin, which are good for old people and children. However, when you plan to preserve the kimchi for a long time, you might not as well put oyster or a little because oyster gets fermented fast.
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Chonggak kimchi is also called altari kimchi and made with liquid salted fish and glue made of rice. This kimchi is from the southern area and tastes thick and deep. Together with Dongchimi (watery white radish kimchi), it's made a little earlier than Kimjang for winter. When putting salted shrimps, salted croakers or salted yellow corvenia instead of salted anchovies, the kimchi doesn't get sour fast and the color doesn't change either.
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Dongchimi is completed a few weeks earlier than kimjang kimchi and its most attractive feature is fresh and cool taste of water. This kimchi is served with rice cake or side dish when drinking, and dongchimi with noodles can be a good meal. Other vegetables like mustard leaves, green onions, pickled red pepper, and pear make the water taste cooler and fresher.
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Paek kimchi is originated in Pyongan province and cold northern area. Pickled Korean cabbage with a little bit salt, filled in each trunk with thin striped radish, parley, pine nuts, pears, chestnuts, shredded red pepper, manna lichen, garlic, ginger, is put into salted water. This is very clean and not spicy since they don't use red pepper to make paek kimchi. In northern area rice or noodles with paek kimchi is loved as midnight snack. Because it is not hot like other kimchi, this is good as side dishes for old people and children.
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This is made of thin sliced Korean cabbage, radish, other flavors, and water. It has mingled taste of cabbage kimchi and sliced radish kimchi. This tastes fresh and light, not so hot and salty.
To make the water clean and fresh, they don't use salted fishes, and even when they make the water, they put powdered red pepper in a cotton wrapper and shake it in the salty water.
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Possam kimchi is traditional kimchi in Kesong town and also it's common in Hwanghae, Kyunggi province and Seoul. The leaves of Korean cabbage wrap the materials like a bundle. It needs a lot of cares because they have to cut all the materials by a bite size and wrap each leaf with all the materials. Instead, it doesn't have to be cut again when served.
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This kimchi is common in Kyungsang and Cholla province, especially, this is a typical kimchi of Cholla province. This has a bit bitter taste and peculiar smell, and it's made during kimjang season and enjoyed even after Jan. 1 by lunar calendar. It's good for not only appetite but also health because kodleppegi strengthens the stomach and purifies blood.
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Stuffed cucumber kimchi is made during spring and summer. Touched feeling when chewing and cool water make fresh taste of the kimchi. Since it goes sour faster than other kimchi, it's better to make small amount, and using salted fishes is not recommended.
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It has great taste and chewing feeling when it's pickled with salted anchovies sauce instead of salt. To prevent sour taste, rather much salt is to be put, and if mustard leaves are added, the taste of the kimchi gets much better.