Kkakdugi |깍두기
Kimchi is a very well-known Korean side dish, and arguably the country’s representative food. But kimchi has many varieties and kkakdugi or cubed radish kimchi is one of those. In the same way, there are several different varieties of radish around the world and the Korean radish is characterized mainly by its rotund appearance, with a green and white gradient for its bottle-like body.
The most known form of kimchi is the napa cabbage variation and it’s usually a heap of flat leaves when served as a banchan or a side dish. The kkakdugi on the other hand, is cut in cubes, which creates an interesting eating experience for the gastronomist. It is said to have been invented by King Jeongjo’s daughter, Princess Sukseon who was fond of making new dishes for celebrations within the royal family. The name was derived from the cutting method called ggakduk sseolgi, representing cutting food into cubes.
The mu or the Korean radish is seasoned with salt, hot pepper flakes called gochugaru in Korean, green onions, sugar, garlic and ginger. The fermentation usually takes about two weeks and kkakdugi is served cold.
More info about Korean side dishes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banchan
http://blog.naver.com/uehara0309/220681706668
