Kimchi, a staple of Korean cuisine

Originally a means of preserving vegetables during winter, kimchi is emblematic of Korean cuisine and accompanies almost every meal served in the country, whatever its culinary origins, with kimchi-making still an important annual ritual for many families.

Women prepare cabbages to make kimchi, during a traditional communal process known as "kimjang," in Donghae, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2020.

A worker picks cabbages during a harvest at a cabbage farm near Mokpo, South Korea, Nov. 18, 2020.

A worker from Thailand packages cabbages during a harvest at a cabbage farm near Mokpo, South Korea, Nov. 18, 2020.

A cabbage field during a harvest at a cabbage farm near Mokpo, South Korea, Nov. 18, 2020.

Workers pick cabbages during a harvest at a cabbage farm near Mokpo, South Korea, Nov. 18, 2020.

Cabbages are loaded onto trucks during a harvest at a cabbage farm near Mokpo, South Korea, Nov. 18, 2020.

Cabbages are loaded onto trucks during a harvest at a cabbage farm near Mokpo, South Korea, Nov. 18, 2020.

Workers load cabbages onto a truck during a harvest at a cabbage farm near Mokpo, South Korea, Nov. 18, 2020.

Workers wait to load cabbages onto a truck during a harvest at a cabbage farm near Mokpo, South Korea, Nov. 18, 2020.

Cabbages are packed onto a truck during a harvest at a cabbage farm near Mokpo, South Korea, Nov. 18, 2020.

Women prepare cabbages to make kimchi, during a traditional communal process known as "kimjang," in Donghae, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2020.

Women make kimchi during a traditional communal process known as "kimjang," in Donghae, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2020.

A woman packs kimchi into Tupperware containers to be distributed among friends and family, in Donghae, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2020.

Women prepare to sit down for lunch after making kimchi, in Donghae, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2020.

Kimchi (C) and steamed pork are laid out for lunch, in Donghae, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2020.

A woman prepares cabbages to make kimchi during a traditional communal process known as "kimjang," in Donghae, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2020.

A woman makes kimchi during a traditional communal process known as "kimjang," in Donghae, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2020.

Woman makes kimchi during a traditional communal process known as "kimjang" in Donghae, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2020.

Workers sort cabbages on a production line making kimchi at the Ryugyong Kimchi Factory in Pyongyang, North Korea, Dec. 1, 2020.

A worker sorts cabbages on a production line making kimchi at the Ryugyong Kimchi Factory in Pyongyang, North Korea, Dec. 1, 2020.

Kimchi products are displayed at the Ryugyong Kimchi Factory in Pyongyang, North Korea, Dec. 1, 2020.