South Korea is furious after being told that kimchi originates from China - Do they go crazy when they are forced to do something they always do?

Photo by N509FZ (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)

Chili peppers not found in Asia

While watching YouTube videos about Sichuan cuisine, I suddenly noticed the controversy surrounding the origin of kimchi, which is based on Sichuan's foamed vegetables. I used to think that Sichuan cuisine was spicy because spices from western countries such as India and Pakistan were introduced, but chili peppers are native to South America, so chili peppers probably didn't exist in China.

With Hideyoshi's dispatch of troops to Korea, chili peppers were brought to the Korean peninsula.

There is a theory that it was brought to Japan when guns were introduced, or that it was brought by missionaries, but it seems that it was brought to the Korean peninsula during Hideyoshi's Bunroku and Keicho campaigns. It was the end of the １６th century. So I researched when chili peppers were introduced to Sichuan, and found that it was in the １７th century, at the end of the Ming Dynasty. I'm not sure when chili peppers began to be used in Awa Nai or Korean kimchi, but it would be a mistake to say that the current kimchi made with chili peppers originated in Sichuan Province.

Chinese cultural theory that ends with a dot

If that's the case, there must be a culture of foamed vegetables using chili peppers all over China, or even on land routes to Beijing. Chinese historical debates tend to be like this. China's ３,０００ years will turn into its ４,０００ years the next day, but there are no excavations that have spread its culture geographically. It ends with a dot. Culture is transmitted through people as a medium.

East Asia, a continent with no history of culture

Incidentally, as part of its national strategy, China claims that ginseng is many times more superior to Korean ginseng, and supports vast fields of ginseng. This is an economic revitalization project for the underdeveloped and ethnically diverse Yunnan province.

By the way, when I looked into the origin of chili peppers, I found that there is a record that it dates back to ６０００ BC in Mexico. A little respect for Mexican chili peppers would end this debate.