Kimchi was born, but without garlic or red peppers. Some historians feel that additional seasonings, notably the red peppers, were not added to the preserving pots of salted cabbages and turnips until the 16th century, when the cultivation of red peppers became wide spread in Korea. In the years since then, increased prosperity and culinary creativity have wrought many changes to the original kimchi recipe. It is no longer just garlic and red peppers that find their way into kimchi pots, but a whole host of other ingredients, ranging from the common to the exotic - green onions, carrots, leeks, ginger, sesame seeds, pears, oysters, salted baby shrimp, chestnuts, abalone, pinenuts, seaweed, and the list goes on. While greater financial security has made the use of more exotic and expensive ingredients in kimchi possible, it has also made the home preparation of kimchi less necessary.
Hot house provide vegetables year round.
Factory-made kimchi can be purchased at the local grocery store. And urban apartment living makes large-scale kimchi production unfeasible. Making kimchi for a family of five once required the purchase of at least 100 heads of cabbage. Today the same sized family, at least in urban areas, will use only 30. Trucks abundant with fresh cabbages and turnips are everywhere and small makeshift markets seem to sprout overnight throughout the city.