Umeboshi
Umeboshi (
Umeboshi are a popular kind of Japanese tsukemono ('pickled thing'; preserved or fermented) and are extremely sour and salty. Sweet umeboshi made with honey also exist. They are usually served as a side dish for rice or eaten on rice balls (often without removing the pit) for breakfast and lunch. They are occasionally served boiled or seasoned for dinner.[2]
Physical characteristics
Umeboshi are usually round and vary from smooth to very wrinkled. Usually they taste salty, and are extremely
Production
The central area of
Umeboshi are traditionally made by harvesting
Many varieties of umeboshi sold on the market are desalinated to a certain extent and re-soaked in a flavoring liquid. They are sometimes dyed red using
Consumption
Umeboshi are usually eaten in small quantities with
Umeboshi were esteemed by the samurai to combat battle fatigue, a function of their salt and citric acid content, among other factors. Salt, citric acid, and polyphenols also contribute to their antimicrobial activity, so they are a natural preservative for foods and help prevent food poisoning and other bacterial stomach problems.
Umeboshi is used as a cooking accent to enhance flavor and presentation. They may also be served as a complement of a drink with
Umeboshi are often eaten as snacks; in the United States and Australia, many Japanese grocery stores stock them. Eating umeboshi in Japan is the equivalent of the English expression "an apple a day".[6] Children's candy shops sometimes carry karikari ume, or prepackaged, crunchy pickled ume, and dried umeboshi.
Health
This Japanese style traditional condiment is believed to be a digestive aid, for prevention of nausea and systemic toxicity, including hangovers. Green ume extract is used as a tonic in Japan. The citric acid is believed to act as an antibacterial, help to increase saliva production and assist in the digestion of rice. Additionally, umeboshi is claimed to combat fatigue (historically given as part of a samurai's field ration) and protect against aging.[7]
According to a 2018 study, umeboshi may have anti-allergic effects, and "suggested that ume has the potential to inhibit mast cell degranulation and may be associated with reduced risk of allergic symptoms in women."[8]
Nutrition
Pitted traditional umeboshi per 100 g contains:[9]
- Energy 138 kJ
- Protein 0.9 g
- Fat 0.2 g
- Carbohydrate 10.5 g
- Sodium 8700 mg[9]
- Potassium 440 mg
- Manganese 0.23 mg
- VitaminA 7 μg
- VitaminB1 0.02 mg
- VitaminB2 0.01 mg
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Dietary fiber 3.6 g
- Water 65.1 g
Traditional (non-reduced sodium versions) umeboshi are roughly one quarter salt.
Similar foods
The umeboshi style of pickling is common in Japan and is similar in style to other Asian preserved pickling techniques found in China, Vietnam, and Korea.[10]
In Vietnam, a very similar variety of pickled ume is called xí muội or ô mai .
In the
In
is prepared in similar way, sometimes with sugar syrup.In South Africa, a similar style of preserved dried fruit is called mebos in Afrikaans, the name of which seems to derive from the Japanese via Dutch trade. Usually, apricot is used to produce a salty, acidic variety, although other, sweetened varieties made from other fruits are also colloquially called mebos.
See also
- Li hing mui – Salty dried Chinese plum
- List of pickled foods
- List of plum dishes
- List of sauces
- Pickled fruit – Fruit that has been preserved by anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar
- Suanmeitang – Chinese beverage made from smoked plums
- Smoked plum
- Wikibooks:Cookbook:Umeboshi
References
- ISBN 978-4-7700-3049-8.
- ^ Umeboshi: perfect in any culinary pickle | The Japan Times
- ^ Nakatafoods: Umeboshi
- ^ Japan Times, 25 May 2012, p. 18
- ^ Mary Choate and Aaron Brachfeld (31 August 2015). At Home in Nature, a user's guide. Coastalfields Press. p. 303. GGKEY:K5213DDZJD2. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Umeboshi: World's Strangest Hangover Cures." Travel and Leisure. Retrieved on March 8, 2009.
- ^ "HEALTH BENEFITS OF UMEBOSHI : MAKING TRADITIONAL UMEBOSHI : UMEBOSHI - Venerable Pickled Plums : MITOKU COMPANY, LTD. - Organic Japanese Foods Exporter". Mitoku.com. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- PMID 30076416.
- ^ a b "Standards Tables of Food Composition in Japan -2015- (Seventh Revised Edition) Documentation and Table". Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. 2015. Retrieved 2020-09-17. (English version of the ja:日本食品標準成分表)
- Direct link to the XLSX file: "2. Table (Excel:890KB)" (xlsx). Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. 2017-12-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
- Item No.=07022 "Umeboshi" (pickled and dried mume), salted pickles (traditional salty recipe)
- Item No.=07023 "Umeboshi" (pickled and dried mume), seasoned pickles (reduced-salt version)
- Column W: Sodium (mg/100g); Column BE: Salt equivalent (g/100g). "Salt equivalent" is not "Sodium". In Japanese food labels, the amount of sodium is often not printed and salt equivalent value is used instead, which is roughly 2.5 times larger than the amount of sodium.
- ^ The 150 healthiest foods on earth. By Johnny Bowden