In South Korea, you don't fool around with the kimchi. The traditional preparation of this dish consisting of bell peppers and seasoned vegetables and then fermented, figure for 2015 on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity of Unesco. "The tradition of the preparation of the kimchi has hundreds of variations. (...) Although the differences in the local climatic conditions and the preferences and customs of the families result in variations in the ingredients and recipes, the preparation of kimchi is a custom common in the country, " can be read on the website of the institution of the UN.
This dish is from a few days in the centre of cultural tensions between South Korea and China, reports the BBC. In case, of false information relayed by the chinese authorities in the media. Beijing has claimed to have obtained certification from the international Organization for standardization (ISO) for its manufacturing process of kimchi. But Seoul is mounted in a niche, explaining that this certification was only for the pao cai, a different type of vegetable marinated consumed in China, which "has nothing to do with the kimchi," stresses The Korea Herald. The media states that the list ISO clearly indicates that " this document does not apply to the kimchi ".
Food of the soul
On the social networks, the tone is mounted between the chinese netizens and south Korean after the statements of Beijing, explains the South Morning China Post. "It is a total nonsense, this thief to steal our culture ! ", thus wrote a visitor from south korea wrote on Naver.com. The south Korean media have seized on this controversy, prompting the ministry of Agriculture, Food and rural Affairs to make things clear in this folder. Chinese side, the silence is from update.
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It must be said that the ministry of south korea has presented strong arguments, issuing a statement indicating that the standards for kimchi (ingredients, labelling of food additives and the name of the product) had been approved by the united nations since 2001. Many in the media criticized the cultural appropriation of China, while the kimchi is considered as "the food of the soul" in South Korea, in addition to being linked to the identity of the nation ", says The Korea Herald. The response should not be waiting on the side of Seoul. The south Korean authorities would be well determined to promote the kimchi in the country and abroad, in leading, in particular, academic research on its health benefits.
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