Hurry to South Korea before the kimchee is all gone

The future of South Korea’s spicy kimchee, a foodie favourite of locals and tourists alike, could be cooked because of rising temperatures.

Farmers, scientists and manufacturers say the beloved fermented cabbage dish is being threatened by hotter weather that makes it harder to grow. The napa cabbages used for kimchee thrive in cooler climates and are typically planted in mountainous regions where the temperatures rarely rise above 25C. But studies show climate change is pushing up the mercury to the extent where cabbage growing may no longer be viable.

Plant pathologist Lee Young-gyu is hoping the climate predictions do not come to pass. He told Reuters: “Cabbages like to grow in a cool climate and adapts to a very narrow band of temperatures. The optimal temperatures are between 18 and 21 Celsius.”

Lee Ha-yeon, a “kimchee master” with the ministry of agriculture, said that under intense heat the heart of the cabbage “goes bad, and the root becomes mushy. If this continues, then in the summer time we might have to give up cabbage kimchee.” The spicy dish is made from other vegetables such as cucumber, radishes and green onion — but cabbage remains the most popular.

Government data shows the area of highland cabbage farmed last year was less than half what it was 20 years ago, Reuters said. The think-tank Rural Development Administration said there could be no cabbage grown in the highlands by 2090, based on climate-change modelling.

South Korea’s kimchee industry is already reeling from cheaper Chinese imports, which are served mostly in restaurants. Farmer Kim Si-gap, 71, said the climate predictions were both “shocking” and “sad at the same time.” He lamented: “Kimchee is something we cannot not have on the table. What are we going to do if this happens?”