Kimchi (An Ecosystem in a Jar of My Own Creation).

My recent attempt at making homemade kimchi has led to an interesting question: how long can it be aged, and why?  What goes on inside a jar of kimchi?  How does preservation work?

First, I must tell you that Kimchi is one of my favorite foods.  The balance of the red pepper spice, the crispy and wilted texture of the cabbage, the umami imparted from the fish sauce or seafood and the fizzy, sour quality resulting from fermentation work perfectly together to create an extremely nutritious and versatile ingredient.  The public praise for kimchi has been tremendous.  Health magazine has called kimchi one of the top 5 healthiest foods. (http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410299,00.html)

The way that I personally enjoy food is to understand it at the most basic level, dig deeper, and figure out how it works.  Then, I can knowledgeably and intimately control the quality.  The project that I want to embark on is just this: understand fermentation and how to use it to make kimchi that can satisfy my high standards.  (Who knows, maybe some of what I learn might be applicable to wine.)