VOA文化艺术2024--South Korea's Kimchi Threatened by Warming Weather

One of the most popular foods in South Korea is kimchi. It is a kind of fermented² cabbage or other vegetables. Now farmers, manufacturers and scientists say climate change is affecting the quality and quantity of the napa cabbage used to make the dish.

Cabbage grows best in cooler climates. Growers usually plant it in mountainous areas where temperatures during the summer growing season used to stay mostly below 25 degrees Celsius³.

Studies show that warmer weather tied to climate change is now threatening these crops. There may even come a time when it will be too hot for South Korea to be able to grow napa cabbage.

Lee Young-gyu studies diseases that attack plants. He said the best temperatures for cabbage are between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius.

In the fields and in kitchens - both in factories and homes - farmers and kimchi makers⁴ are already feeling the change.

Spicy⁵, fermented kimchi is made from other vegetables such as radish, cucumber, and green onion, but the most popular form is still mostly cabbage.

The Agriculture Ministry⁶ calls Lee Ha-yeon a Kimchi Master because of her knowledge of kimchi. She said that in higher temperatures, the heart of the cabbage goes bad, and the root softens⁷.

"If this continues, then in the summertime we might have to give up cabbage kimchi," said Lee.

Shrinking crop area

The government statistics agency reports the area of highland⁹ cabbage farmed last year was about 4,000 hectares. That is less than half of what it was 20 years ago.

The Rural Development Administration, a state farming organization, predicts that the farmed area for napa cabbage will shrink in the next 25 years to just 44 hectares. They expect there will be no cabbage grown in the highlands by 2090.

Researchers point to three reasons for such a small area of crops. They include higher temperatures, unpredictable heavy rains and unwanted insects and diseases that become more difficult to control in the warmer and longer summers.

South Korea's kimchi industry is already fighting lower-priced imports from China, which are mostly served in restaurants. Those imports rose by almost seven percent for the year through the end of July. That is the highest level ever.

New cabbage varieties

The government is trying to prevent high prices and shortages by storing large amounts of cabbage. Scientists are also racing¹⁰ to develop crop varieties that can grow in warmer climates, handle changes in rainfall and resist fungal infections.

Seventy-one-year-old Kim Si-gap is a farmer who has worked in the cabbage fields of the eastern region of Gangneung all his life. Kim fears these varieties will be more costly¹¹ to grow. And they might not taste the same.

"When we see the reports that there will come a time in Korea when we can no longer grow cabbage, it was shocking on the one hand and also sad at the same time," Kim said.

"Kimchi is something we cannot not have on the table. What are we going to do if this happens?"

Words in This Story

ferment¹ - v. to go through a chemical change that results in the production of alcohol

kitchen -n. a room where cooking is done

spicy - of food: flavored with or containing strong spices and especially ones that cause a burning feeling in your mouth

statistic⁸ - n. number that represents a piece of information (such as information about how often something is done, how common something is, or the like)

variety - n. a particular kind of person or thing

fungal -adj. related to fungus, a form of life that is neither plant nor animal such as mushrooms

1 ferment   

vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱

参考例句：

• Fruit juices ferment if they are kept a long time.果汁若是放置很久，就会发酵。
• The sixties were a time of theological ferment.六十年代是神学上骚动的时代。

2 fermented   

v.（使）发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰

参考例句：

• When wine is fermented, it gives off gas. 酒发酵时发出气泡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His speeches fermented trouble among the workers. 他的演讲在工人中引起骚动。 来自辞典例句

3 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 softens   

（使）变软( soften的第三人称单数 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• Iron softens with heat. 铁受热就软化。
• Moonlight softens our faults; all shabbiness dissolves into shadow. 月光淡化了我们的各种缺点，所有的卑微都化解为依稀朦胧的阴影。 来自名作英译部分

8 statistic   

n.统计量；adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• Official statistics show real wages declining by 24%.官方统计数字表明实际工资下降了24%。
• There are no reliable statistics for the number of deaths in the battle.关于阵亡人数没有可靠的统计数字。

9 highland   

n.(pl.)高地，山地

参考例句：

• The highland game is part of Scotland's cultural heritage.苏格兰高地游戏是苏格兰文化遗产的一部分。
• The highland forests where few hunters venture have long been the bear's sanctuary.这片只有少数猎人涉险的高山森林，一直都是黑熊的避难所。

10 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

11 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。