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Comment by distantaidenn | Hacker News Reader

Heh, when I first moved to Seoul, I noticed those big pots (onggi/옹기) everywhere. You might see 2 or 3, or 20 in front of a house, building, etc. I asked my friend what was the deal, and she goes, "Oh, they're making kimchi." Blew my mind how ubiquitous it was.

Love me some real homemade kimchi, especially when it has that slight fizzy bite from a good ferment.

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The first time I had fizzy kimchi it blew my mind. Why does this feel like it's carbonated? Well, simple: it's carbonated. Then, I noticed that the container was gently bubbling. As an outsider to the culture who just loves spicy and/or fermented goodies, it was almost alarming, but it tasted fresh and delicious and I quickly convinced myself that it's entirely plausible for CO2 to dissolve into the water in cabbage just as easy as water that isn't in cabbage; that this is just advanced fermentation technology beyond my ken. But now I want carbonated dill pickles.

But fear not, dear reader: this delicacy isn't only available in Korea. My city has a sizeable population of Korean diaspora, and local grocers sell excellent kimchi (as well as a selection of kimchi refrigerators).

You can also carbonate grapes.

Or malted barley -- the most popular fermented, carbonated drink in the world.

It’s also fairly easy to make your own. The wonderful thing about that is you can sample your kimchi periodically as it ferments to learn what stage of fermentation you enjoy most. As it gets really sour, it also becomes amazing as an ingredient or grilled on its own.

That’s right! Maangchi has a recipe and guide [0] which is really good. It’s how I learned, and the results are fantastic. Be warned though, she makes a lot of kimchi in one batch!

[0] https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/tongbaechu-kimchi

Can confirm: this is an excellent recipe. Highly recommended.

For whatever reason, we've had a lot more luck making kimchi than sauerkraut. The kraut keeps molding on us :-(

I understand that moldy kraut isn't bad -- pick off the moldy bits and you should be good. But despite that knowledge it still squicks me out.

Same, but with pickled and fermented fizzy tomatoes, a specialty in Georgia. So delicious.

Ooh that sounds peculiar, I must find some

> I quickly convinced myself that it's entirely plausible for CO2 to dissolve into the water in cabbage just as easy as water that isn't in cabbage; that this is just advanced fermentation technology beyond my ken. But now I want carbonated dill pickles.

Carbonating fruit is pretty common: apple, banana, strawberry, …

This is usually done externally, by popping bits of fruit and some dry ice (not much) in a strong airtight container. You could probably do that with western (vinegar) pickles.

I've never had carbonated dill pickles. You might get a little fizz from the juice on the outside, but I've never found the inside to be fizzing. Maybe it's possible with the right temperature, but I'm unsure. It takes longer for the brine to penetrate the cucumber, so you'd have to start it at 70F to get it started for a day or two, then refrigerate to about 45F for a week to let it penetrate, then raise it back to 70F for the rapid carbonation to take place. Maybe.

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