No matter how you spell it, kimchi (or kimchee, or kim chee) is gaining in popularity in multicultural Vancouver. But not quickly enough to save the Robson Kimchi Deli, a postage stamp–size store at 1703 Robson Street that, until its recent closure, sold only this Korean condiment: dozens of variations of the tongue-searing, eye-popping, good-for-you stuff.

For most Koreans, a meal without kimchi is incomplete—unthinkable, even. For neophytes not familiar with Korea’s national food, kimchi is basically fermented spicy vegetables, most often cabbage; or, according to Wendy Hutton’s A Cook’s Guide to Asian Vegetables (Periplus, $29.95), “salted, preserved, and lightly fermented vegetables with a large amount of garlic and chilli added”. The vegetable component is usually sui choy (napa cabbage), although daikon was originally (and still is) used. Variations are endless, and green onions, ginger, shrimp, and squid often find their way into this potent mix. In Korean restaurants, kimchi arrives as a condiment with almost everything and is regularly incorporated into stews, pancakes, and dumplings, and is sautéed with noodles and rice.

Kimchi has been around since the seventh century and was a means of preserving vegetables through the winter. It was traditionally made in November and buried for slow fermentation. Originally, salt was used as a preservative, but when Portuguese traders introduced red chili peppers in the 1700s and sui choy and daikon began to be cultivated around the same time, kimchi underwent a metamorphosis and moved toward what we enjoy today.

Is kimchi the next wonder food? Low in calories, it’s increasingly touted as a nutritious, healthy condiment with anti-aging properties and as a preventive for colds and yeast infections. According to the Korean Culture Information Service’s Web site, “It may well be key to avoiding such sicknesses as the avian flu.” Health Magazine (www.health.com/) claimed in its March 2006 issue that kimchi is one of the world’s five “healthiest foods” (the others are olive oil, soy, yogurt, and lentils) because it’s rich in vitamins A, B, and C, and may even prevent cancer. Like yogurt, kimchi is loaded with “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli that aid digestion. Whew. Powerhouse or not, it’s part of the high-fibre, low-fat diet that helps Koreans stay slender. (They eat about 18 kilograms of kimchi per person annually.)

Vancouver’s mother lode of kimchi is H-Mart at 590 Robson Street. That’s where you’ll find a wall-size cooler of the stuff—almost as many kinds as the departed Kimchi Deli—in dozens of variations, both Canadian-made and Korean imports. There’s kimchi made with whole sui choy, daikon, lettuce, and mustard leaves. Red kimchi and white (the former adds chili powder to the chopped chilies) is packed in plastic bags and boxes, foil pouches, and plastic and glass jars; capacity ranges from tiny 130-gram containers to serious four-litre pails.

Nong Hyup Orange Mart (1518 Robson Street) has got a decent, well-priced selection as does Kim’s Mart (517 East Broadway), and T&T Supermarkets carries a modest assortment. My preferences? Two Korean imports found at H-Mart: Burning Kimchi (it is), $1.99 for 130 grams; and milder No. 1, $4.59 for 400 grams. Kimchi must be kept refrigerated, and unless you’re motoring through it, large jars are best transferred into smaller airtight containers.

A growing cluster of Korean restaurants on Robson Street makes it easy to experience this spicy food, since it comes as a side with most dishes and is an integral ingredient in several. Ap Gu Jung (1642 Robson Street) is a favourite with Korean students. (Try the kimchi seafood pancake or kimchi stew with pork.) Wang Ga Ma in H-Mart’s food court offers complimentary kimchi top-ups guaranteed to take the excellent spicy beef broth, spicy tofu soup, and seafood pancake to incendiary levels.

Kimchi is popular in Japan and China, too. In Vancouver, Ezogiku Noodle Cafe (270 Robson Street) has zippy kimchi ramen, and Wild Rice (117 West Pender Street) has searing white kimchi, which chef Stuart Irving serves straight up, garnished with sesame seeds and pea shoots ($3), and recommends with tofu. La Casa Gelato (1033 Venables Street) has made kimchi gelato, and Lays makes kimchi-flavoured potato chips that for now are available only in Asia. Most Asian markets carry variations of kimchi-flavoured noodle soup imported from Korea.

To learn more about kimchi, check out traditional kimchi at www.kimchi.or.kr/eng/main.jsp; recipes at everything2.com/index.pl?node=kimchi and korean.allfoodrecipe.com/kimchi.shtml; and information about this month’s Kimchi Expo in Seoul at kimchi.munhwa.com/E_kimchi/src/expo/KC_Opinion.php.