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Kimch’i corner in a
rural supermarket,
2006.
acceptable. However, during the 1990s a drastic increase in the sales of
kimch’i took place in Japan. Between 1990 and 2000 the production of
Korean pickle in Japan increased nearly fourfold, while its import from
Korea increased from 3,432 to 30,000 tonnes. The growth during the final
two years was particularly spectacular – from 15,000 to 30,000 tonnes. In
the year 2000 kimch’i ranked as number one among all the pickled vegetables
produced (and consumed) in Japan, far ahead of such traditional
products as asazuke (22,500 tonnes), takuan (90,600 tonnes), fukujinzuke
(60,500 tonnes) and umeboshi (40,300 tonnes). Kimch’i is not only the most
popular pickle at the moment, but it is also an ingredient of dishes such as
buta kimuchi (pork pan-fried with kimch’i) and kimuchi nabe (kimch’i stew),
which have become mainstays of contemporary Japanese diet. 44
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