Baek Kimchi — White Non-Spicy Kimchi (백김치)

The oldest documented kimchi tradition, predating gochugaru; associated with aristocratic Joseon court cooking and the Kaesong (현 북한) culinary tradition

Baek kimchi (백김치, 'white kimchi') is baechu-kimchi made entirely without gochugaru, relying on garlic, ginger, salted seafood, and a fragrant array of filling ingredients — julienned radish, Korean pear, pine nuts, chestnuts, and Asian chive — to create complexity without heat. It represents the pre-Columbian kimchi tradition (gochugaru arrived in Korea only around the 17th century) and remains the kimchi of choice for children, the elderly, and anyone avoiding capsaicin. The brine is delicately flavoured and often drunk alongside the vegetables.

Baek kimchi's clean, fragrant sourness pairs beautifully with rich, fatty meats (bossam, galbi-jjim) where red kimchi would overwhelm. It also serves as the benchmark pairing with makgeolli (막걸리) — the mild acidity mirrors the rice wine's own gentle tang.