Beautifully colorful tsukemono

Tsukemono refers to a dish of any of a variety of ingredients like vegetables, fruits, wild plants, mushrooms, seafood, seaweed, or meat pickled with salt, soy sauce, vinegar, rice bran, miso, and malted rice among others. While maintaining the inherent flavor of the ingredient, tsukemono has a nice salty accent that goes perfectly with the delicate flavor of rice. This is a beloved and indispensable dish to any dining table in Japan, where rice has long played the role of staple food.

There are different types of tsukemono. For example, some are made by fermenting, while some are flavored with seasonings. Even the same ingredient can be enjoyed in different flavors by varying the time of pickling. The fresh texture of the pickled food can be savored as asazuke (lightly-preserved pickles) made in a short time; however, furuzuke (old pickles), which have been matured over a long time and have developed a more robust flavor, can be saved for a long period.

By pickling fresh vegetables, we can savor the tastes of seasonal vegetables.

In Japan, each region makes its own tsukemono using local specialties and produce to improve their taste. In Hokkaido, there is nishin-zuke made by pickling slices of dried herring with cabbage and so forth using malted rice; in Akita Prefecture, there is iburigakko made by pickling smoked daikon radish with rice bran; Nagano Prefecture offers nozawana , a pickled leaf vegetable with a fresh texture; Tokyo has the slightly sweet bettara-zuke (pickled daikon radish); Kyoto is known for its refreshingly sour suguki-zuke (pickled local turnip); and Kagoshima Prefecture has papaya-zuke made by pickling papaya fruit with miso or soy sauce. Variations abound, with more than 600 types of tsukemono said to exist throughout the country.

The value of tsukemono as a health food is regaining appreciation in recent years. Vegetables pickled with rice bran, nukazuke , are especially being noticed for their rich fiber content. Nukazuke uses a bed of fermented rice bran, nukadoko mixed thoroughly with salt and water. Vegetables such as cucumbers, eggplants, and daikon radish will ferment as they are pickled in this, creating a unique flavor. Nukadoko is said to be packed with plant lactobacillus and to be effective for improving the intestinal environment and supporting beautiful skin and immunity. It is also rich with vitamin B1, which is believed to promote recovery from fatigue.

Comparing the tastes from the different regions is one way to enjoy traditional tsukemono. Enjoy the appetizing aromas and textures while partaking of the plentiful power of tsukemono.