Jessica Alba has been eating kimchi since she was four years old, the American actress said on a Korean entertainment program broadcast Saturday.

Alba appeared in an interview with "Entertainment Weekly," broadcast by KBS 2TV at 10:35 p.m. on Saturday.

The 34-year-old Hollywood star said she loves Korean food, including spicy stew and the varieties of kimchi, Korea's traditional fermented side dish.

Jessica Alba says she has been eating kimchi since age four (KBS)

"I discovered kimchi at age 4 through a friend of my parents (translated quote)," said Alba.

Alba was less enthusiastic about Korea's top alcoholic beverage, soju.

"I don't like soju that much. It makes my head hurt," said Alba.

Alba was not won over even after tasting soju fruit cocktails -- the sweeter version of the strong beverage, traditionally distilled from rice.

"I drank fruit (cocktail) soju, but it was hard. I thought it was juice, but it wasn't. I woke up still dressed in the same clothes I wore the day before," said Alba.

Jessica Alba prefers "men who are older" than her -- opting for speed-skater Lee Kyou-hyuk over K-pop stars and other celebrities. (KBS)

When asked to choose between some popular male stars -- including singers Taecyeon from 2PM, Daesung from Big Bang, Roy Kim, rapper Jang Woo-hyuk and news announcer Jo Choong-hyeon -- Alba chose speed-skater Lee Kyou-hyuk because she "prefers men who are older" than her.

Alba joked that her high-profile celebrity status makes up for their differences in fame.

Alba took part in the televised interview during a one-day visit to Korea on Thursday.

"Entertainment Weekly" was the most-viewed program during its time slot on Saturday, which enjoyed national Nielsen ratings of 8.3, up almost 2 percent from last week.

By Yoon Sarah (sarah356@heraldcorp.com)