ABSTRACT
Th e r e are a large number of species of vegetables grown and consumed in Asia. Over 3000 years ago, the Chinese began to domesticate and propa gate wild vegetables in garden plots in populated areas and also learned to pre serve vegetables by simple salting and drying. Over the years, hundreds of dif ferent techniques, recipes, and color and flavor variations have evolved throughout different regions in Asia. The Chinese-populated areas such as Mainland China and Taiwan, with a rich resource of vegetables, have the most abundant supplies of processed vegetables (Fang, 1982; Chiou, 1990; Xiao, 1990). Korea and Japan also rank high in the consumption of processed veg etables. Kimchi has achieved a predominant status in recent years in Korea, with more than 150 varieties, which boost the per capita consumption of veg etables in Korea to 150 kg per year (Cheigh, 1997). Zukemono (Japanese pickles) has also proliferated into a great variety of recipes and tastes in many regions in Japan (Inden et al., 1997).
