Umeboshi Salted Apricots: From A Summer Gift Dedicated To Kings And Nobles To The Popular Dish

Behind the small salted apricots are historical stories that the Japanese have kept for generations.
Umeboshi salted apricots: From a summer gift dedicated to kings and nobles to a popular dish of the common people
Japan is known to the world for a cuisine that does not abuse too much spices, but focuses on highlighting the fresh, pure and natural taste of the dish. The taste of Japanese food is usually elegant, gentle and suitable with the nature of each season. Adding a new color to the culinary that seems to be the monochrome of the land of the rising sun, Umeboshi salt apricots stand out as a special highlight thanks to the unmistakably sour and salty taste.
What is Umeboshi Salted Apricots?
Umeboshi is a very popular salt dish in Japanese culinary culture made by drying salted apricots for a long time

. There are basically 2 types of Umeboshi: yellow salted apricots and red salted apricots. Yellow is the natural color inherent in the dream; Besides, the red apricot made from salt with perilla leaves is popular and is more widely used. Umeboshi is usually soft, has a sour taste and is salty In addition, there is another type of salted apricot called Umezuke which will be more crispy, as it will not be dried.




As mentioned, the secret behind the red color of apricots lies in the salted perilla. The first days of June every year, the wrong branches of apricot blossom in the harvest season are the start of a Japanese apricot season. The most delicious round and delicious apricots will be carefully selected to take away salt, because scratches will easily mold, causing the salted apricots to lose their required taste.
After carefully choosing, the salt person will wash the apricots, then cut off the stalk and take it away to soak in salt water or spirits to disinfect. At the same time, perilla leaves are stirred with salt and then squeezed. The salt ratio is usually not fixed; One can automatically increase the amount because the more salt, the longer the apricots stay.
After the preparation process is completed, the apricot saltman will put the granular salt in the jar or ceramic jar and skillfully put a layer of apricot and a layer of perilla leaves, alternating layers until full, then use the lid Cover it and put it in the dark.



Slowly, the salt will gradually dissolve to create a salty taste, apricots will secrete all the sour taste and the perilla produces all the purple color. When the secreted water reaches the surface of the apricot, people will remove the apricots and perilla and leave them to dry for 2 to 3 days. The water soaked in apricots is called "Umeboshi apricot vinegar", and is often served with salted apricots. After being dried, the apricots can be put separately in another jar or soaked with apricot vinegar for continued use. The longer the incubation time, the more delicious the apricots are and the higher the nutritional value.
Usually, after only 1 year, the salted apricots can be used; however, for the flavor to add richness and nutrition, the Japanese can soak the apricots for 3 to 5 years. The most famous locality for making Umeboshi is Minabe, a land located in central Wakayama prefecture in Japan.
From a historical story spanning many centuries
Attached to the culinary life of the Japanese people, but few people know Umeboshi contains a long cultural story.



During the Heian period (794 - 1185), a king was able to heal himself by drinking tea mixed with Umeboshi and kombu kelp. Since then, it was believed that Umeboshi had a detoxifying effect so that this food began to be widely used by the king and the aristocracy as a dessert food after every meal. After that, the Samurai world also began to use salted apricots widely. However, this time, salted apricots are still a luxury and not for the common class.
Then came the Sengoku period (1467-1603), Umeboshi was used on the battlefield as an antidote and food. The image of Samurai en route to the battlefield with Umeboshi hanging from their belts has become extremely popular. These Samurai use Umeboshi to avoid poisoning and use apricot soaked to disinfect wounds due to their high salt content. Until the Edo period (1603 - 1868), salted apricots were widely used everywhere and in all classes because agriculture developed, people could grow this plant easily.



Each family can make their own apricot salt and then salted apricot quickly becomes a traditional dish in Japanese culinary culture.
To an indispensable ingredient on the modern Japanese dining table
From a dish for kings, through many historical periods, salted apricots have gradually become popular and permanent in Japanese daily meals. Not only is it a familiar dish, but inside a salted apricot also contains significant nutritional value. Salted apricots contain many important minerals such as potassium, manganese, vitamin A ... Besides, this dish is also a popular remedy that helps to detoxify and cure diseases of the throat, colds, coughs, stomach.
During the war years, Umeboshi salted apricots were especially important food for the Japanese, because they were simple, easy to store, and could be used for a long time.



A bowl of steamed rice with Umeboshi completely free of vegetables, meat or food.

. Dịch vụ: Thiết kế website, quảng cáo google, đăng ký website bộ công thương uy tín