The flavor of kimchi, Korea’s national dish, will spice up the capital of the United States this week.

The 4th International Kimchi Conference is to open here on Thursday, introducing everything about the fermented food from Chinese cabbage or radishes.

Kimchi is served as side dish at almost every meal in Korea.

It has been gaining international recognition as healthy food.

With the theme of “Kimchi from the East Meets Pickle from the West,” the one-day forum aims to provide an opportunity for experts, food connoisseurs and the public to discuss and share information about the production process, microbial safety, and health benefits of kimchi, organizers said.

Participants will include Kim Soon-Ja, president of the Kimchi Association of Korea, Karen Hulebak, former head of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Christoph Freitag, director of the German Vegetable Processing Association, and other experts on food and health policy.

The event will be co-hosted by the World Institute of Kimchi (WiKim) and the Gwangju World Kimchi Culture Festival Committee. (Yonhap News)