flipSeasonal Suzuke — vinegar- and salt-pickled vegetables
Seasonal Suzuke — vinegar- and salt-pickled vegetables
Why this dish? Pickled vegetables accompanied every court meal and allowed preserving the harvest out of season — a necessity even in the imperial palace where Teishi lived. Their sharp acidity enlivened the simplicity of steamed rice.
Thin, crunchy vegetables (turnip, cucumber, eggplant) salted then marinated in rice vinegar, sometimes spiked with citrus zest. Sour, salty, lightly fermented, they keep for several days.
Never disdain these little perfumed things at the edge of the tray: they are the soul of the meal. First the vegetables are salted to draw out their water, then they are laid in vinegar, and time does the rest. In winter, when the garden sleeps, it is they that remind us of the taste of summer. A fleck of citrus zest on top, and the mouth awakens even before the rice arrives.
- •Turnip, cucumber, eggplant — according to season (vegetables)
- •Salt — as needed (purging and preservation)
- •Rice vinegar — to cover (marinade)
- •Tachibana (citrus) zest — a little (fragrance)
Seasonal Suzuke — vinegar- and salt-pickled vegetables
Thin, crunchy vegetables (turnip, cucumber, eggplant) salted then marinated in rice vinegar, sometimes spiked with citrus zest. Sour, salty, lightly fermented, they keep for several days.
Why this dish? Pickled vegetables accompanied every court meal and allowed preserving the harvest out of season — a necessity even in the imperial palace where Teishi lived. Their sharp acidity enlivened the simplicity of steamed rice.
Never disdain these little perfumed things at the edge of the tray: they are the soul of the meal. First the vegetables are salted to draw out their water, then they are laid in vinegar, and time does the rest. In winter, when the garden sleeps, it is they that remind us of the taste of summer. A fleck of citrus zest on top, and the mouth awakens even before the rice arrives.
Ingredients (period version)
- Turnip, cucumber, eggplant — according to season (vegetables)
- Salt — as needed (purging and preservation)
- Rice vinegar — to cover (marinade)
- Tachibana (citrus) zest — a little (fragrance)
Ingredients
- Turnip and cucumber (and/or small eggplant) — 300 g total (vegetables)
- Fine salt — 1 tbsp (purging)
- Rice vinegar — 100 ml (marinade)
- Rice syrup or honey — 1 tsp (balance)
- Yuzu or lemon zest — 1 pinch (fragrance)
Method
- Slice the vegetables thinly, salt them and let purge 30 to 60 min, then press to expel water.
- Rinse quickly, pat dry thoroughly.
- Mix vinegar and syrup, immerse the vegetables with the citrus zest.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 h (ideally overnight); drain to serve in small portions alongside the rice.
How it was made : Without refrigeration, salting and vinegar pickling were the main vegetable preservation techniques at Heian. Distinctions were made between suzuke (vinegar), shiozuke (salt), and kasuzuke (sake lees), all served in small, fragrant portions at the edge of the tray.
The contemporary twist : Cut the vegetables with a mandoline into long ribbons and roll them into rosettes: a tsukemono that resembles a miniature dry garden.
Sources : Engishiki (延喜式) · Sei Shōnagon, Notes de chevet (Makura no Sōshi)
Empress Teishi · Charactorium
