If you ever order pizza in Korea, they will come with pickles on the side. While this may be a strange concept to the Western world, it’s common practise in Korea. Pickles and fermented vegetables like kimchi are a staple and must have Korean side dishes whenever they eat a meal. They have grown up with that sour and acidic taste. Korean pickles also help balance a meal, especially heavy dishes like Korean fried chicken and Korean BBQ. Western meals like pizza and pasta are too rich and heavy for the Korean palate to consume without “taking a break”. The Korean pickles, therefore, gives the palate some respite from rich butter, creams and cheeses.