The Technoscience of Kimchi
Reading the article by Heath and Meneley, in which it is explained that technoscientific elements are often invoked in the marketing of ‘traditional’ foods, I immediately thought of kimchi (a spicy Korean side dish of fermented vegetables). I presume that kimchi has long been hailed as a healthy food in its native Korea, but it seems likely that the precise mechanisms by which its beneficial health effects are achieved have only been understood quite recently. And indeed, it has gained a considerable reputation, alongside foods and drinks such as yogurt and kombucha, for its probiotic lactic acid bacteria content.
I wondered whether this (techno)scientific aspect of an otherwise traditional food was something that kimchi producers have specifically referred to in their marketing–and if ‘Mrs. Kim’s Kimchi’ is any indication, it is. In particular, in the link below, we can see rather direct appeals to both the techne (technique) and technoscientific (quantifiable/nutritional) aspects of kimchi. In this description of the fermentation process (which I read as a kind of sales pitch), we are given insight into both the measured, deliberate steps that must be taken and the scientific basis for why these steps are so crucial.
http://www.mrskimskimchi.com/fermentation-101
References:
Heath, D. and Meneley, A. 2007. ‘Techne, Technoscience, and the Circulation of Comestible Commodities: An Introduction’. American Anthropologist 109 (4): 593-602.
Contributed by JoeBommarito on 24/02/2019
