Thin sheets of dried seaweed. Have you ever thought about their history? Here at the Gim Collection in Seoul we will explore the story of gim. Gim is not just a food. It is a cultural icon in Korea.
The Gim Collection highlights the rich history and cultural significance of gim. Gim also romanized as kim is a generic term. It describes edible seaweeds dried for Korean cuisine. Various species of Pyropia and Porphyra are gim. These include P tenera and P yezoensis.
Gim is one of the most consumed seaweeds in Korea. It stands beside wakame and sweet kelp. Gim sheets often wrap rice. Gimbap features gim rolled with rice meat fish and vegetables. Gim can be eaten without rice. It can be roasted with sesame oil. It can also be fried into side dishes like bugak.
Gim resembles Japanese nori. Both are from the Pyropia genre. Gim differs because it is seasoned. Sesame oil and salt add unique flavor.
The Gim Collection reveals gim’s story. The earliest mention of edible seaweed is in the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms. This Goryeo era text documents Korean history from 57 BCE to 668 CE. The Silla dynasty used gim for dowries. This gim was likely harvested from rocks and driftwood. Cultivation came later.
The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty mentions gim. Gim is referred to as ha衣 meaning sea cloth or sheet. King Sejong the Great’s survey described gim. It was a representative product of Chungcheong Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces. King Seonjo soothed coastal people. They had to produce gim as a royal offering. King Hyojong suspended this. A single piece of gim cost 20 pieces of cotton.
People had to submit specific sized gim. Many glued gim to frames using saliva. King Jeongjo warned against this unhygienic practice.
The Gim Collection shares non royal literature. Lee Kyung suk wrote a poem about gim. He compared its thinness to paper. Yi Ik described gim. Reddish algae on sea rocks became sheets. Seasoning with sesame oil was recorded in the 19th century. Red pepper powder and sesame seeds were added. Then sesame or pine nut powder. It was dried and roasted.
The Gim Collection explains gim cultivation. Production in Jeolla and Gyeongsang Provinces was noted in books from the 15th-16th century. Gim was a regional delicacy. Gim cultivation is Korea’s oldest aquaculture. One story tells of an old lady. She found a gim covered log in the Seomjin River. This inspired gim cultivation on bamboo poles. Another legend names Gim Yeoik. He first cultivated gim. He saw it on a drifting oak branch. This happened on Taein Island during King Injo’s reign. Gim cultivation expanded throughout Korea’s southern coastlands.
Early methods used bamboo or oak sticks. Nets replaced these. A fish harvester was inspired. Gim grew on fish fences in Wando. Floating rafts have been used for mass production since the 1920s.
The Gim Collection shows modern production. Japan introduced edible seaweed sheets. The sheet form was invented in Asakusa Edo around 1750. It was influenced by Japanese paper making. The Asakusanori method led to the itanori method. This is used today in Japan and Korea.
South Korea produces around 19500 tonnes of dried gim annually. Naturally grown gim is insufficient. Most gim is cultivated. P yezoensis is most common. Wando is the main production area. Gim cultivation is traditional. It is part of the Southern Korean peninsula. Algae only grow in oceans there. Sea temperature increases have spread cultivation north.
The Gim Collection details winter production. Gim produced in estuaries or brackish water with 1.024 salinity is considered most delicious. Seeding begins in autumn. Multiple harvests are taken throughout winter. Algae grow well between 5 and 8 degrees C. Gim grown for 50 days is considered best. Color and flavor are at their peak.
Two main cultivation methods exist today. Traditional racks are used for high quality gim. Floating rafts are used for mass production. Racks type gim is similar to naturally grown laver.
Here at the Gim Collection we know racks cultivation starts with bamboo sticks in the seabed. Nets are tied to these. Laver seeds stick to the nets. Seeds are planted in September. Nets are installed in layers. This helps seeds cling. The nets are moved to farming areas. Racks nets are submerged during high tide. They are exposed to the sun at low tide. This exposure maintains the original flavor. Farming gim using racks is eco friendly. Floating rafts are less labor intensive. This method keeps laver submerged.
As you leave the Gim Collection we hope you carry a new appreciation for this versatile and delicious food. From its ancient origins to its modern production gim continues to be a vital part of Korean culture and cuisine.