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Umeboshi: A Family Tradition Preserved

2024.05.27

Photo Credit: Kseniya Budko@pexels.com

 


I really love salty pickled plums called umeboshi. I have loved them since I was a little child. When I was young, I was pretty picky about food, so I mainly ate plain white rice, miso soup, and umeboshi. My grandma had some plum trees in her garden, and every year, she would make umeboshi by hand. Her umeboshi were more sour than salty, and they were soft and had a natural red color because of an herb called red shiso.

 

I thought my grandma's umeboshi were perfect, and she kept making them until she was ninety years old. I always say umeboshi is my favorite food when people ask, but I never thought about making them from scratch until after my grandma passed away ten years ago.

 

When my mom, aunt and uncles, and I were going through her things, we found her recipe notebook, and it had an umeboshi recipe. Plums are harvested in June, so if I missed that time, I would have to wait a whole year to make umeboshi. That year, I decided to give it a try. I bought some plums at the store and picked some from my parents' trees. I have been making them every year since then.

 

Making umeboshi is simple. All you need is plums, salt, a little bit of distilled alcohol to clean the container, red shiso, and some heavy stones. First, you weigh the plums and measure out about twelve percent of their weight in salt. Then, you wash and dry the plums and clean the container with alcohol to prevent mold. Next, you layer salt and plums in the container, adding more until it is full. Place a plate and heavy stones on top, cover it, and leave it for about a week.

 

After a week, a sour and salty liquid comes out and covers the plums. That is when you add red perilla leaves. Wash them with salt and mix them into the container. The liquid turns bright red because of the leaves. Leave the plums for three to four weeks until the rainy season ends in Japan. Finally, on a sunny day, put the plums outside in a bamboo basket to dry and soften. I love seeing the red plums on my veranda.

 

I know many people, especially young ones, don't like umeboshi. But when you cook them with meat, fish, or vegetables, they lose their weird smell and add a rich flavor to the dish. I am always amazed at how people in the past made this preserved food with so few ingredients and simple steps. Umeboshi, for me, is a connection to my past and a wonderful tradition that I still enjoy today.

 

 

Blog Quiz:

Q1. Did the author like many foods when she was a child?

Q2. About how many weeks are required to complete the pickled plums? 

Q3. Why do you need shochu, a distilled alcohol, for making umeboshi?

 

Scroll down to see the answers below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers:

A1. No, she was a picky eater.

A2. About four to five weeks altogether.

A3. To clean the container to prevent mold.

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