Did you know that in South Korea, the famous dish called kimchi could be in trouble? Kimchi is usually made from a type of cabbage called napa cabbage, which is now being threatened by climate change.
This cabbage grows best in cool climates, usually in the mountains, where it used to stay below 25°C during the summer. But now, because of climate change, it’s getting too hot for the cabbage to handle.
Farmers are worried
The warmer weather is not just about a few sweaty days; it’s making it tough for the cabbage to grow without getting mushy or rotting. Imagine having your favorite snack rely on something that might not grow anymore!
There’s a lot less land to grow this cabbage now. Twenty years ago, they grew napa cabbage on over 8,700 hectares. Now, it’s down to just about 4,000 hectares. And guess what? It could drop to only 44 hectares in the next 25 years. That’s like your whole playground shrinking to the size of a seesaw!
While they’re figuring out how to deal with all this, South Korea is also buying more kimchi from China because it’s cheaper. Last year, they spent a whopping $98.5 million on imported kimchi!
According to a report by Reuters, the government is storing huge amounts of it in special climate-controlled places. Scientists are also working hard to create new types of cabbage that can handle the heat and still taste great.
But everyone's a bit nervous. Farmers like 71-year-old Kim Si-gap, who has been growing cabbage all his life, are scared that the new cabbage might be costly and not taste the same. He says, "Kimchi is something we cannot not have on the table. What are we going to do if this happens?"
So, next time you munch on something crunchy, think about how cool it is that people are working so hard to save their traditional foods from disappearing!