North Korea has scored a major victory in the kimchi war with the UN all but elevating its pickled vegetables to the same lofty status as its southern neighbour’s spicy capitalist cabbage.



Pyongyang suffered a blow to its prestige two years ago when South Korea’s kimchi – a favourite dish made mostly from fermented cabbage – was added to Unesco’s prestigious list of the world’s “intangible cultural heritage”.

Not to be outdone the north’s regime is now on the brink of getting the same classification for its own communist kimchi.

The fiery, often strong-smelling foodstuff can provoke equally strong emotions, with fierce rivalry between regions, communities and even families over whose kimchi is superior.

“Koreans share experience among themselves to make delicious kimchi according to season, while helping each other with raw materials and in preparation,” Unesco said as it confirmed the inclusion of the Democratic Republic of Korea’s “red kimchi” on a list of nominations to be rubberstamped at a meeting next week in Namibia.

It is likely to joined on the list by the preparation of Arabic coffee following a successful joint campaign by Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar.

Koreans traditionally get together in late November and early December to make enough kimchi to last through the peninsula’s long hard winter.

Blood-red and eye-wateringly hot, it is eaten daily by 95% of Koreans, and more than half have it at as a side dish at every meal, including breakfast, according to a 2011 survey.

Koreans point to kimchi’s status as a “superfood” and many believe it was its health benefits that protected them when acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) spread from China in 2003.

Seventeen other folk, dance, song and artisanal traditions are also set to receive Unesco help and protection, including the crafting of Portuguese cow bells, bagpipe-playing in Slovakia, endangered oral traditions in Uganda, Mongolian “camel coaxing” rituals and male-only Romanian dances.