The Kimchi Costco Shoppers Swear By

Up until recently, you may not have known about the wonders of kimchi. The spicy, sour, pungent, and pickled vegetable dish, though a staple at the dinner tables of most Korean households, was once only found in specialty stores in the U.S. The Culture Trip points out that as more people turn to wellness foods, especially with an awareness of the health benefits of gut-friendly bacteria in fermented foods, kimchi has seen a rise in popularity in the last few years. Add to that a growing interest in South Korean pop culture, along with chefs like Roy Choi who made kimchi tacos a thing, and it's easy to see why jars of kimchi are lining the shelves in supermarkets across the U.S. today.

Although kimchi may be one of the hottest foods right now, finding a brand that hits your tastebuds just right might be challenging. Leave it to the Redditors, however, to find a jar of kimchi that might do it. The OP reveals that this Costco kimchi is better than one they bought at a Korean specialty store and one happy shopper agreed, sharing, "I'm Korean, and this is the best store bought kimchi I've had – love it! Only thing better is my mom's."

Jongga's Sliced Napa Cabbage Kimchi, which is made in Korea, is sold at Costco and has some raging reviews. One Redditor reports their "Korean mom thinks it's great kimchi. And her kimchi that she makes is locally world famous so that's saying something."

While some shoppers claim that the only disappointing part about Costco's kimchi is that they wish it was sold in larger quantities, other kimchi fans are not too impressed by the fermented cabbage. One shopper found that the kimchi lacked spice and tasted like "wilted cabbage with a hint of rotting fish." They also found that the kimchi was not fermented enough for flavors other than the fish sauce to shine.

Some kimchi fans on a separate Reddit thread also complained of the overly salty taste of Costco's kimchi, but others jumped in and suggested they may have gotten a "bad batch." One Redditor shared, "Not Korean but I do enjoy kimchi. Been buying regularly from Costco recently since its convenient but I do get 1 in 8 where the taste is not as good," and another claimed "I've bought it 10+ times from costco and never thought it was overly salty."

The Jongga kimchi alao seems to be a disappointment on this thread for fans who love theirs hot and spicy, but as for those still not convinced of the kimchi's flavor, one user has a trick to share: "You need to let it ripe out on room temp for a couple of days to get the true flavor!!! Unripened jongga just tastes like overly salty cabbage." Only once you've allowed the kimchi some time to ripen will its more complex flavors come out to play!