# Shikinbai ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Shikinbai

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Mito City

## Main Ingredients Used
Ume plum, red perilla, salt

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Kairakuen Garden in Mito, one of the three most famous gardens in Japan, is famous for its plum blossoms, with 3,000 ume trees of about 100 varieties. Kairakuen was created by Nariaki Tokugawa, the ninth head of the Tokugawa family of the Mito domain. There are two reasons why Nariaki planted many plum trees. One reason is that the plum tree, as the flower that heralds the arrival of spring, makes people feel positive about the future. And the sour taste of the plum fruit was the best food for the military, as it quenched thirst and fatigue, which led to the planting of many plum trees.In order to make effective use of all the plums harvested at Kairakuen, Prince Nariaki invented the "Shikinbai" plum tree. Clean, undamaged plums are used for umeboshi (pickled plums) and umeshu (plum wine), while damaged or unsightly plums are beaten with a mallet to remove the seeds, and only the flesh is pickled with shiso (a type of perilla). It is also called "Ume-bishio.In addition to Kairakuen, Ibaraki Prefecture has many other famous ume viewing spots, such as Koudoukan in Mito City and Mount Tsukuba. In recent years, however, the Ibaraki Prefecture's brand-name ume, Hitachino-ume, has been gaining popularity, and ume has become a specialty in terms of food as well.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Ume fruit is harvested from mid to late June, but is eaten throughout the year because it is a preserved food.

## How to Eat
Remove the seeds by tapping the ume with a mallet while they are still slightly firm. Sprinkle salt to 10% to 15% of the weight of the plums and mix well. Prepare red shiso (about 10% of the weight of plums), wash, remove dirt, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for about half a day. Then, black scum will come out, so remove it before adding to the plums. After a while, the color of the red shiso transfers to the plums, and the plums take on a beautiful color.It can be used as an accompaniment to white rice or porridge, or as an ingredient in onigiri (rice ball), and has a wide range of uses. In summer, it can be served with chopped cucumbers for a refreshing meal even when the appetite wanes.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Overview of the people who have passed on the dish, preservation groups, use of SNS, modern efforts such as commercialization, etc.)Many households still make ume paste as part of their "ume work. Kairakuen Garden also sells "Shikinbai" made from plums harvested in the garden, which is popular as a souvenir.

## Ingredients
- Japanese apricot(Ume plum): 10 plums
- Salt: 10-15% of the weight of the pulp, excluding seeds
- Red perilla: 10% of the weight of the pulp without seeds
- Salt for removing red perilla scum: 10% of the weight of red perilla

## Recipe
1. 1. Wash the plums in water, place them in a colander, carefully wipe them dry one by one, and put them in a thick plastic bag. Put them in a thick plastic bag and break the fruits by hitting them on a hard table with a wooden pestle.
2. 2. Break into pieces several times to remove the seeds. If the fruit is soft and ripe, you can break it by hand.
3. 3. Weigh the pulp of the berries without the seeds, and prepare 10 to 15% of the weight in salt. If the fruit can be stored at room temperature, 15% salt can be used. 10% salt can be used if the fruit can be stored in the refrigerator. You can use refined salt or natural salt, as you prefer.
4. 4. Wash the jars, sterilize them by boiling, and dry them completely. Avoid metal lids as they corrode easily. Add plums and salt.
5. 5. Shake the jar to distribute the salt throughout; shake the jar morning and evening to distribute the salt throughout for 4 to 5 days, and store in a cool, dark place until the red perilla is ready to use. If red perilla is already available, proceed immediately to 6.
6. 6. Sprinkle red perilla with a quantity of salt in two batches, blanch the perilla with salt, and squeeze out the scum each time. When the water is thoroughly squeezed out, break it up and add it to the jar.
7. 7. Shake the jar to distribute the red perilla leaves. If the ume vinegar has risen, the color will turn a beautiful reddish-purple immediately.
8. 8. Remove and shake the jar once a day or so to distribute the reddish-purple color over the entire surface until the entire surface is nicely colored. 10% salt should always be stored in the refrigerator, otherwise it should also be stored in a cool, dark place.
9. 9. When the whole mixture is smooth and has passed the heat, the salt will acclimate and it will be delicious. Until then, store in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark place. If you want to make it smoother, you can put it in a food processor in step 2 and then pickle it.

## Provider Information
provider : Nakagawa Gakuen Culinary Arts College

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