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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:09 pm Post subject: Is your Kimchi getting hotter? |
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THEY say it is.
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Koreans Dining on Ever-Spicier Foods
The kimchi that Koreans eat now is much spicier than it was just five years ago, a study has found. A team headed by Dr. Ku Kyung-hyung of the Korea Food Research Institute released a report that shows the level of capsaicin, the component in chili peppers that causes the burning sensation, has more than doubled in Korea's hallmark dish in the past five years, from 0.6-0.8 mg percent to 2.0-3.0 mg percent.
The amount of pepper, including pepper powder, consumed by the average Korean rose by 40 percent from 5.2 g in 1998 to 7.2 g in 2005. Annual consumption of pepper per person is 4 kg in Korea, by far the highest in the world.
There has never been a time in the entire history of Korea when food was as hot as it is today, Korean food experts agreed. Hot dishes like fire chicken, chili short ribs, red noodles and spicy steamed seafood have become favorite items in Korean restaurants in the past two or three years and 70 percent of instant noodles varieties are spicy.
"Peppers first came to Korea after the Japanese invasion in 1592, but it was only used for adding a hint of spiciness," said Prof. Jeong Hye-kyung of Hoseo University's department of food and nutrition. Few of the recipes in the first Korean cookbooks, circa 1670, called for pepper, she said. "When the chemical compound capsaicin in red pepper meets the nerves of the tongue, the pain signals a feeling of burning. And this unique sensation makes us want more and more of it," said Prof. Han of Sukmyung Women's University.
Amal Naj, the author of the book "Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits," cited psychological research to claim that pepper addiction is on par with that of nicotine. Even though you feel pain like you're on a rollercoaster, the fact that you are actually fine gives you psychological satisfaction, the author said. Thinking that you're in danger, your brain secrets endorphins, and this, in turn, drives people to want more peppers.
Some say people crave spiciness during times of crisis or social unrest. Kim Ju-hyeon, the Korea Food and Nutrition Foundation's head researcher shares this belief. "After having come to Korea in the time of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion in the 1590s, peppers firmly established their presence on the tables of ordinary Koreans by the 18th century," Kim said. "There was a surge in spicy food in Korea after the Asian financial crisis. This may be coincidence but it appears that people tend to want spiciness when things aren't going well."
Dr. Ku of the Korea Food Research Institute said that the Korean preference for spiciness is changing the taste of our traditional food. "Some people say the chemical compound capsaicin is good for dieting, and there indeed have been papers written on how the chemical protects our gastric membrane, but pepper is not composed of capsaicin alone, Ku added. |
Personally, I haven't noticed a change, but then again, I usually steer clear of the cheap stuff at Kimbap restaurants. |
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Roch
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 2:33 am Post subject: |
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| It doesnot seem spicier than it did, say, five years ago. However, the local chicks say that my gochu is getting bigger and spicier. Maybe it has somethin' to do with the water, eh? |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 2:55 am Post subject: |
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bah... Korean food is NOT very spicy
Indian, Thai and Venezuelan dishes are MUCH hotter
what hogwash |
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Roch
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 3:05 am Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
bah... Korean food is NOT very spicy
Indian, Thai and Venezuelan dishes are MUCH hotter
what hogwash |
Gotta agree with you, Geoje Dude.
Ever hang around Vic's Inner Harbour? |
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soju pizza
Joined: 21 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 3:14 am Post subject: |
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| In other news, Korea's Health watchdog proudly announced that South Korea has brought home the gold medal for global stomach cancer rates. Korea also fared well in the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease competition, winning Bronze medals in the Incompetence of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter decathalon, hiatal hernia 100 meter relay, and General Burning of the Anus marathon. The latter is being contested by the Koreans with allegations that some judges were bribed and other competitors cheated. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| Roch wrote: |
| Ever hang around Vic's Inner Harbour? |
yeah but you couldn't get farther away on vancouver island from where i lived |
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