Yakihata Atsumi Kabu Zuke - Traditional Foods in Japan | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

YamagataYakihata Atsumi Kabu Zuke

Classification (Large)

Agricultural products

Classification (Small)

Pickled

Main ingredients used

Yakihata Atsumi Kabu, vinegar, sugar, salt

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Region of inheritance

Hitokasumi, Tsuruoka City (formerly Hitokasumi, Atsumi Town)

Product overview (special characteristics and types)

Yakihata Atsumi Kabu is a red turnip that has been produced in the Atsumi area, a hot spring town within the limits of the present Tsuruoka City, for more than 400 years. Grown without pesticides and fertilizers using an ancient slash-and-burn farming method, this turnip has a dark purple outer skin and white flesh. It is typically processed to make pickles, and these days, it is often pickled in sweet vinegar. When pickled, the anthocyanin pigment reacts with the vinegar, making the entire turnip beautifully pink. It features soft skin, crisp and firm flesh, and subtle sweetness.
After clearing the forest, farmers cut the undergrowth on the mountain slopes in July; in August, around the old Bon Festival season, they set the entire slope on fire, guiding the fire so that it burns down the mountain. The farmers sow seeds while the ground is still hot and leave them untouched, except for occasional thinning, before harvesting the grown turnips as they emerge from late September. The volcanic ash soil of the Atsumi area is naturally rich in calcium, potassium, and sodium, but slash-and-burn farming makes the soil even richer in minerals, making pesticide-free farming possible as weeds are removed and pathogens burned away.

History and culture

Although there are other native Tsuruoka turnips grown by slash-and-burn farming, Atsumi Kabu has the longest history. It was featured as a product of the Shonai and Atsumi areas in Shochikuorai (1672), which is said to be the earliest record of this product. According to a historical document, in 1785, 100 Atsumi Kabus were presented to the Tokugawa Shogunate, while other records show that they were sold at high prices as a specialty of the Shonai clan, suggesting that Atsumi Kabu has long been a local brand.
Pickled Atsumi Kabu is an essential dish for winter events in the Shonai area, such as Daikoku-sama's year-end night, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. In some areas of the former Atsumi Town, a harvest festival called "Kabu no Saiya" is still held on November 10 (formerly October 10 according to the lunar calendar) to pray for the growth of the turnips. On this occasion, people also serve the gods red turnips grown at home and big bota mochi as offerings, praying for further prosperity of their families.
People began pickling Atsumi Kabu in sweet vinegar from the 1960s to the 1980s. Before that time, it was pickled with salt, miso, malted rice, and persimmon peels in order to make a dish known as aba zuke. However, since aba zuke becomes sour as lactic acid fermentation progresses, it remains tasty only for a short period. Therefore, the turnip began to be pickled in sweet vinegar to allow it to maintain its quality and taste for a long time.

Production method

Add salt, sugar, and vinegar together into a barrel with the turnips. Stir and weigh down; then, after three days or so, stir again. The turnips will be ready to eat after 20 days to 1 month of storage.
An alternate method is to pre-soak the turnips in salt water and then pickle them in sweet-and-sour seasoning.

Conservation and succession efforts

Every year from around October to April, Yakihata Atsumi Kabu pickled in sweet vinegar after harvesting is readily available at supermarkets, farmers markets, and online.

Main consumption method

Cut into pieces and serve with rice, or serve as tea snacks. Also popular as a pairing for alcohol.

At-home recipes：Yakihata Atsumi Kabu Zuke salad

Ingredients

Yakihata Atsumi Kabu Zuke

60g

Green leaves

4 leaves

Cherry tomatoes

6 tomatoes

Yellow bell pepper

30g

Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

As needed

Extra virgin olive oil

As needed

How to make

Cut the kabu zuke into thin slices. Tear the green leaves by hand into bite-size pieces. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half horizontally and the bell pepper diagonally.

Arrange the vegetables prepared in step 1 to look colorful, sprinkle with salt and coarsely ground pepper, and drizzle olive oil in a circular motion.