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Kyo Tsukemono
Fermented foods
KyotoKyo Tsukemono
Classification (Large)
Agricultural products
Classification (Small)
Other processed agricultural products
Main ingredients used
Vegetables, salt
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Region of inheritance
Kyoto City, Yamashiro region
Product overview (special characteristics and types)
Kyoto pickles refer to pickles made by using foodstuffs that are unique to Kyoto Prefecture and pickles originated there. In Kyoto, which is not surrounded by the sea, food preservation techniques were developed, and the climate unique to a basin and the abundance of quality groundwater the region has have made it suitable for growing vegetables. In addition, because there has been a large number of temples there, the practice of making pickles has been popular since long ago, and a culture related to pickling has developed.
Typical Kyoto pickles include senmai-zuke, suguki-zuke, shiba-zuke, nanohana-zuke, and Kyoto mibuna-zuke, which all have different production and consumption seasons. The production of senmai-zuke and suguki-zuke starts around November, and pickling vegetables is a special feature of winter in Kyoto. Kyoto pickles are loved by the local people and are popular as souvenirs among tourists.
History and culture
In the suburbs of Kyoto called "Rakugai," a lot of vegetables had been grown to support the diets of people in the city for hundreds of years. Even today, various vegetables native to Kyoto named after places in the prefecture, such as the Shogoin radish, mibuna, Kaga eggplant, Yamashina eggplant, and Momoyama radish are produced.
Pickles, which are made using in-season vegetables, originated from the practice of salt-curing foods to preserve them longer. The origin of senmai-zuke is pickling thin Shogoin turnip slices made by Tozaburo Daikokuya, a cook in the Kyoto Imperial Palace, in the Edo period after he retired.
Seeds of the Omi turnip cultivated in Shiga Prefecture in the Kyoho period were brought back to Shogoin, Sakyo Ward and planted to grow the turnip by a farmer who lived there. This is said to be the origin of the Shogoin turnip. It is one of the Traditional Vegetables of Kyoto designated by Kyoto Prefecture, is Japan's largest variety of turnip which can weigh up to 4 or 5 kg, and is characterized by a soft and smooth taste.
Since Senmai-zuke eaten today are made by pickling turnips with kelp and other ingredients in table vinegar, it does not keep long and has a slimy texture because of the kelp, but it has a light and delicate taste.
Suguki-zuke is made by using suguki, which is written in kanji as "酸茎," with the first one meaning vinegar and the second one stem. It is a kind of turnip that had only been produced in Kamigamo, Kyoto Prefecture for a long time. Until the late Edo period, only the priests serving in Kamigamo Shrine and their families had been allowed to cultivate suguki, but its cultivation became popular among ordinary people in the Meiji period. Suguki-zuke, which is made by pickling suguki in salt only and fermenting it by the action of lactic acid bacteria, is characterized by a sour taste, and the leaves and roots are cut and eaten separately.
Shiba-zuke is a specialty of Ohara, where quality red perilla is produced due to significant differences in temperature between day and night. The name shiba-zuke is said to have been given by Kenreimonin in the Heian period, and it is also written in kanji as "紫葉漬," which means pickled purple leaves. Today, red perilla is commonly pickled with cucumbers or myoga ginger, but nama shiba-zuke is pickled eggplants and red perilla, which are made by pickling them in salt only and fermenting them by the action of lactic acid bacteria, and is characterized by the beautiful color and rich flavor of red perilla.
Nanohana-zuke is also called Matsugasaki-zuke. In Matsugasaki, Nanohana or rape blossoms had been grown to get votive lamp oil for hundreds of years, and the blossoms removed for thinning were used to make pickles. Today, nanohana-zuke is commonly made by pickling rape blossoms for a short time, but they may be pickled in rice bran to make nuka-zuke, which is characterized by a slightly bitter taste.
The origin of mibuna used to make Kyoto mibuna-zuke is a variant of potherb mustard discovered in Mibu, where Mibudera Temple is located, in the Edo period. It is one of the Traditional Vegetables of Kyoto designated by Kyoto Prefecture, and is characterized by a unique pungency and flavor and a crunchy texture. Senmai-zuke may be served with Kyoto mibuna-zuke.
Production method
Senmai-zuke is made by peeling a thick layer off of a Shogoin turnip, cutting it widthwise into round slices about 3-mm thick, alternately layering them and kelp in a barrel, and pickling them in a marinade of mirin, vinegar, and sugar for about 3 days.
Suguki-zuke is made as follows. Pickle suguki in salt overnight before the main pickling, and then wash it and pickle it in salt again the next day. Place a weight on it and let it sit for one week. Then, let it sit in a room warmed with fired briquettes for another one week to ferment it by the action of lactic acid bacteria. Then, allow it to cool at natural temperature. It can be served when the pickle juice comes up five or six days later.
Shiba-zuke is made by sprinkling cut eggplants and perilla leaves with salt, placing a weight on them, and allowing them to mature and ferment by the action of lactic acid bacteria for about two months. The key is to remove the scum from the eggplants and perilla leaves as needed during the pickling process.
Nanohana-zuke is made by pre-picking rape blossoms that can be anywhere from unopened to three-quarters in bloom in salt and pickling them in rice-bran bags and red peppers with a weight placed on them for about three weeks. This is the process of making traditional nanohana-zuke pickled in rice bran.
Kyoto mibuna-zuke is made by pre-pickling fresh mibuna in salt, washing it carefully the next day, and pickling it in salt only with a weight placed on it overnight. It is pickled for just one night to keep the vegetable brightly colored and moderately resilient.
Conservation and succession efforts
Kyoto Prefecture has designated foods that meet the following requirements as Traditional Foods Made in Kyoto based on the Kyoto Ordinance for Promoting Traditional and Cultural Manufacturing Industries to promote the spread of traditional foods made in Kyoto: (1) foods made mainly of traditional raw materials or the like, (2) foods made by using or applying a traditional skill or technique, and (3) foods made while properly taking measures necessary to ensure food security and safety. Senmai-zuke, suguki-zuke, and shiba-zuke have been designated as Kyoto pickles, some of the Traditional Foods Made in Kyoto.
There are still long-established producers of these pickles throughout the prefecture, which have inherited the tradition of pickling.
Some local restaurants offer lunches containing these pickles while some stores offer opportunities for visitors to experience nuka-zuke making.
In addition, some universities and confectionery manufacturers have been jointly developing candies and other sweets using shiba-zuke.
Main consumption method
Generally, Kyoto pickles are eaten as an accompaniment to cooked rice or as toppings for ochazuke (cooked rice with tea poured over it). They may also be eaten as an accompaniment to alcoholic beverages.
At-home recipes:Tuna sandwich containing Kyoto pickles
Ingredients
Kyoto pickles
60g
Sliced bread
4 slices
Tuna
1 can
Mayonnaise
3 tablespoons
Mustard paste
As needed
Butter
As needed
How to make
Cut Kyoto pickles into small pieces. Drain the canned tuna.
Add mayonnaise and mustard paste to the ingredients prepared in step 1 and mix them until evenly coated.
Spread a thin layer of butter on sliced bread and put the filling prepared in step 2 between two slices of bread. Make one more sandwich.
Cut the sandwiches into easy-to-eat pieces and put them on a plate.