flipUmeboshi — salted plums from the pantry
Umeboshi — salted plums from the pantry
Why this dish? To get through the sunless months of high summer and deep winter, the fruits of the year are preserved in salt. The salted plum, tart and sharp, accompanies Amaterasu's rice and protects the traveler on the paths to the shrines.
Small plums (ume) pickled in salt until deep red, intensely sour and salty. A single one is enough to revive a bowl of rice.
The traveler journeying to my shrine carries only a little rice and one of these purple plums. It does not rot, because salt has made it eternal, like my light that never goes out. Bite its tip: its sourness will whip your blood and chase away the road's fatigue. Keep it long: the older it grows, the more it wishes you well.
- •Ripe ume plums — one basket (fruit to salt)
- •Sea salt — one-fifth of fruit weight (preservation)
- •Red shiso leaves — one bunch (color and fragrance)
Umeboshi — salted plums from the pantry
Small plums (ume) pickled in salt until deep red, intensely sour and salty. A single one is enough to revive a bowl of rice.
Why this dish? To get through the sunless months of high summer and deep winter, the fruits of the year are preserved in salt. The salted plum, tart and sharp, accompanies Amaterasu's rice and protects the traveler on the paths to the shrines.
The traveler journeying to my shrine carries only a little rice and one of these purple plums. It does not rot, because salt has made it eternal, like my light that never goes out. Bite its tip: its sourness will whip your blood and chase away the road's fatigue. Keep it long: the older it grows, the more it wishes you well.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe ume plums — one basket (fruit to salt)
- Sea salt — one-fifth of fruit weight (preservation)
- Red shiso leaves — one bunch (color and fragrance)
Ingredients
- Ume plums (or green apricots if unavailable) — 1 kg (base)
- Sea salt — 180 g (dry brine)
- Red shiso leaves — 1 bunch (optional) (red color and aroma)
Method
- Wash the ume, remove stems, dry them.
- Layer them in a clean container alternating with salt, place a weight on top.
- Let them macerate for 1 to 2 weeks: a liquid (umezu) should cover the fruit.
- Add the crumpled red shiso with salt for color, then let mature.
- Dry the plums in the sun for 3 days in high summer, then store in a jar: they keep for years.
How it was made : Preserving fruit in salt is very ancient in Japan; salted plums were prized as long-lasting food, travel rations and remedy. Sun-drying — under Amaterasu's sun — fixes their preservation.
The contemporary twist : Place a single umeboshi in the center of a dome of white rice: this is the hinomaru bentō, 'rising sun flag', a direct tribute to the sun goddess.
Sources : Tradition of tsukemono and umeboshi as preserved food and travel provisions
Amaterasu · Charactorium
