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Umeboshi, an archetypical Japanese pickle, are made by adding the leaves of the beefsteak plant (perilla) of reddish purple color to dried plums, then salting the mixture and leaving it to mature for at least one year. Umeboshi are very sour and have been treasured since long ago for their efficacy in treating food poisoning, disinfecting scratches and wounds, alleviating indigestion and other stomach problems, and stimulating appetite. During the Warring States period from the mid-15th century to the end of the 16th century, warriors carried their own supply of pickled plums everywhere they went, as a result of which umeboshi came to be known throughout the land. From around this time feudal lords, eager to enjoy both the blossoms and the pickled fruit, began to vie with each other to encourage the planting of plum trees, and it is to that competition that we owe the existence to this day of famous plum blossom spots throughout Japan—places that are noted also for their umeboshi .
The emergence of rice as a staple of the Japanese diet also encouraged the spread of tsukemono. Already by the Kamakura period (1185–1333) rice was the staple for the upper classes, while the majority of the populace made do with barley and other cereals. Salty side dishes such as pickle vegetables and miso soup were very much favored to offset the blandness of boiled or steamed grains, and tsukemono of various colors emerged in time.
Kyoto, which was the capital for over a millennium from the eighth century, became particularly noted for the cultivation of "Kyoto vegetables" and for the pickles derived from them. These excelled in the subtlety of their flavor and colorful appearance. Shiba-zuke (lit., brushwood pickles)— tsukemono made by salting a shredded mix of aubergines (egg plants), Japanese ginger, and beefsteak plant—was crimson; while senmai-zuke (one thousand-sheet pickles), made by marinating very thin, round slices of large turnips in vinegar, was white. The flower heads of rape plants were lightly salted to produce the yellow and green na-no-hana-zuke (rape flower pickles), and a type of turnip known as suguki-na was allowed to ferment until it became the very tart-tasting, dark green suguki-zuke. Perhaps nothing could better symbolize Japanese cuisine than a spread of such tsukemono, as diverse in its way as a European cheese board, and as enticing to the eyes as it is to the taste buds. |
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