Korean Embassy introduces savory kimchi to Turkey

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - The wives of ambassadors in Turkey on Wednesday participated in a cooking class that introduced Korean cuisine to them.

The class organized in the capital Ankara by the Korean embassy taught the women how to prepare kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish.

As a staple in Korean cuisine, kimchi is a dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as cabbage filled with a mixture of julienned radish, dried red pepper powder, spring onion and salted seafood. The minced garlic, ginger, red chili pepper powder along with salted shrimps are the the main ingredients used for seasoning the food.

The wives represented 35 countries.

The kimchi was later packed and sealed for taking home.

Eunmi Oh, the wife of the Korean ambassador, greeted the guests.

She said in Korea families come together to prepare kimchi.

"I consider you my family here," she said.

"Kimchi is not just a food, it's kind of a culture in Korea," she told Anadolu Agency.

In the absence of fresh vegetables in Korea during winters, she said, consuming kimchi nourishes the body with essential minerals and natural probiotics.

She went on to say that in the past, before refrigerators became common, people would store kimchi underground for up to three or four months.

There are over 200 varieties of kimchi, she said.

"Without the kimchi and rice, you cannot live in Korea," Eunmi said.

She invited Turkish people to visit the Korean Culture Center in Ankara.