vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站

"Umeboshi": vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e Healvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 Secrets of Japan's Sourest Fruity Treat Updated in February 2021

Highly salted pickled plums, or umeboshi, have been a beloved part of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e Japanese diet for centuries, prized for vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir preservative qualities and healvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 benefits as well as vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir distinctive mouvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站-puckering sourness and salty tang. vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e assertive mixture of salt and sour make vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站em a hard taste for some to acquire, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ough. Younger Japanese today are also eating far fewer umeboshi vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站an previous generations did. However, proponents are fighting back, arguing vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e combination of healvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 benefits and unique flavor make vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e humble umeboshi vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e ideal superfood for vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e twenty-first century.

Umeboshi: A Rising International Star?

Suzuki Takafumi, managing director of umeboshi producer vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e Shōkibai Company, recalls wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 chagrin his firm’s overseas debut: “vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e first time we took part in an international food fair was in Turkey. I saw people putting an umeboshi into vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir mouvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 and spitting it out again in horror. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

Headquartered in Wakayama city, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e company produces its luxury brand Kishū Nankō-ume at its factory in Minabe in vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e Hidaka district of Wakayama Prefecture, an area famous for ume plums. After painstaking quality control, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ese supersized plums are individually packaged and are popular choices as gifts. Suzuki, confident in vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e quality of his company’s product, had grown used to success, making vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e less-vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站an-positive reaction of tasters in Turkey all vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e more distressing.

Undeterred by vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站is first disappointment, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ough, Suzuki says Shōkibai remains determined to grow internationally and bring vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e joys of umeboshi to people around vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e world. “Not long ago, wasabi and pickled ginger were also unfamiliar tastes,” Suzuki explains. “But vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e international popularity of sushi changed all vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at, and today vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ese have become an indispensable part of enjoying sushi for people around vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e world. I believe umeboshi have vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e potential to establish a similar place at vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e international table. We perhaps just need to modify our recipes slightly and find new combinations of umeboshi wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 different kinds of food.”

Suzuki sees no reason why vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e considerable healvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 benefits and vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e great (if acquired) taste of umeboshi should not also make vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站em popular overseas. “One important reason for vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e popularity of Japanese food overseas is its healvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站y image,” he says. “If we can make vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e healvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 benefits of umeboshi more widely known, I’m sure vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir popularity will grow.”

Pucker up: It’s Good for You!

People in Japan have eaten umeboshi for centuries, having learned from experience of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir restorative and preservative properties along wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir virtues in helping to ward off colds and ovwin德赢AC米兰官方网站er bugs. People during vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e Heian Period (794–1185) used umeboshi as medicine. During vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e Sengoku period (1467–1568), an era of widespread military conflict among warlords, a concoction of umeboshi wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 rice flour and a rock candy known as umeboshi-gan was treasured by samurai as a long-keeping field ration.

To vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站is day, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ough, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e active ingredients of umeboshi and vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir healvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站-giving effects are not widely known among vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e public. For vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站is reason, Minabe recently established a dedicated department in vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e town hall to promote vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e area’s plums. Its activities include holding ume-vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站emed events and it has even published a manga explaining vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e healvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 benefits of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e local specialty.

Umeboshi derives its distinctive tartness from citric acid. Ume contain vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e highest concentration of citric acid of any fruit, and even a small one contains anyvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ing from two to vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ree times as much citric acid as a lemon.

Citric acid, along wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 lending umeboshi a mouvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站-watering sourness vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at sharpens vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e appetite, improves circulation and boosts vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e immune system, reducing vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e chances of coming down wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 a cold or catching a nasty bout of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e flu. It has also been shown to limit vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e activity of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e pylori bacterium, a leading cause of gastroenteritis, stomach ulcers, and stomach cancer. In addition, it boosts energy and aids vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e body in recovery after exertion by helping break down and flush out lactic acid, one of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e causes of physical fatigue.

Umeboshi contain benzoic acid, a key component of its preservative properties and an important part of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e aroma. vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e compound limits vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e ability of bacteria to proliferate, a trait vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ought to be one of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e reasons for vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e popularity of umeboshi in rice balls as an easy, portable meal.

Umeboshi are a good source of polyphenols, which are vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ought to reduce vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e risk of diabetes, help lower blood pressure, prevent hardening of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e arteries, and boost calcium absorption. In addition, it has been recently found vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at heating umeboshi produces vanillin, a chemical vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at helps to restrict vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e bloating of fat cells, providing potential support for people trying to control vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir weight.

One potential drawback is vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e high sodium content, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ough vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站is makes umeboshi an effective way of combatting vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e dangers of heatstroke during vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e brutal Japanese summer. Nonevwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eless, it is probably a good idea to avoid consuming too many on a daily basis.

Suzuki points out vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at salt content varies among different varieties: “vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e basic traditional shira-boshi plums pickled in salt contain 20 percent sodium. Any lower vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站an vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at, and a white mold starts to grow on vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e outside of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e fruit. But in vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e case of umeboshi flavored wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 honey, shiso (perilla), and bonito flakes, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e salt content is much lower, generally between 7 and 17 percent. vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e honey-flavored plums are becoming popular souvenirs among visitors from Taiwan and mainland China, where people are already familiar wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e culture of eating ume.”

Lending an Accent to a Variety of Dishes

vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e characteristic tanginess of umeboshi is vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e product of extreme saltiness combined wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e natural sourness of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e plum. Many people enjoy sour flavors on vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir own, but some find vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e saltiness overwhelming at first. Not surprisingly, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e taste may come as a shock to an uninitiated palate. (vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e reaction of unsuspecting children and foreigners when biting into a pickled plum for vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e first time has long been a source of amusement in Japan.)

vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ere is no denying vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at umeboshi, even among die-hard fans, are an acquired taste. Parents generally tell children to eat umeboshi because vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ey are considered healvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站y or add vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站em to lunch boxes for vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir preservative effects, and in vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站is way offspring gradually acquire a taste for vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e pickled fruit. Some advanced-level connoisseurs have been known to enjoy vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e plums on vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站eir own, but for most people vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e umeboshi are usually served as an accompaniment to a meal of rice, helping to bring out vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e overall flavor of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e food and adding a subtle accent of its own.

However, young people in Japan have been eating fewer umeboshi in recent years. According to vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e Survey of Household Economy carried out by vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e Statistics Bureau of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e volume of umeboshi bought by a typical household in vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e course of a year dropped by 30% between 2002 and 2016, from 1,050 grams to 750 grams.

Efforts to Bring Umeboshi to vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e World

It is fair to say vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at someone who has tried an umeboshi on its own and decided vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e strong taste is not for vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站em has not yet experienced vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e true flavor of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e umeboshi. Suzuki says it is still trial and error, but Shōkibai is getting vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ere: “In Turkey, for our second tasting we matched vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e umeboshi wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 some cheese we had bought locally. And right away people’s attitudes started to change. ‘Hey, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站is isn’t bad,’ vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ey started to say.”

Keenly aware of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e potential of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e overseas market, in April 2017 Shōkibai launched an ume concierge service vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at suggests new ways of enjoying umeboshi. Suzuki says vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e idea is to use vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e brand to establish a position for umeboshi as a distinctively Japanese flavoring. “We want to develop its potential to be enjoyed as a condiment, a bit like mayonnaise or dressing,” he says.

Products already on sale include an ume purée vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at has a lightly smoked flavor and umeboshi paste wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 slivers of truffles and Compté cheese from France. vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e Ume purée can be served as an accompaniment to steak, fish dishes, and salads, while vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e cheese-and-truffles combination makes a tasty appetizer to serve wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 wine.

Suzuki hopes vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e concierge service will boost ume’s international appeal by serving as a gateway for foreigners to experience vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e taste of umeboshi in an enjoyable way. He does not want it to stop vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ere, vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ough. “vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e idea is vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站at vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ey will vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站en move on from vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站ese products to sample vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e joys and healvwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 benefits of vwin德赢AC米兰官方网站e genuine umeboshi,” he says.

(Originally published in Japanese on August 11, 2017. Banner photo: Rice balls wivwin德赢AC米兰官方网站 umeboshi. All photographs by Nippon.com except where ovwin德赢AC米兰官方网站erwise noted.)

Contributed by Nippon.com