Tsukemono

Tsukemono (漬物, "pickled things") are Japanese preserved vegetables (usually pickled in salt, brine, or a bed of rice bran). They are served with rice as an okazu (side dish), with drinks as an otsumami (snack), as an accompaniment to or garnish for meals, and as a course in the kaiseki portion of a Japanese tea ceremony.
However, Tsukemono are not to be confused for Sunomono - Tsukemono are pickled by bacterial fermentation and lactic acid as a byproduct, instead of being vinegared.
Tsukemono are also referred to as konomono (香の物), oshinko (御新香), or okōkō (御香々), all carrying the meaning of "fragrant dish" in Japanese. The ko or kō (香) portion in these names means "fragrant", and the term was used as a nyōbō kotoba or "woman's word" for miso in reference to the smell.[citation needed] Over time, this term was also applied to pickles, again for the smell. Oshinko ("fresh fragrance") more specifically referred to vegetables that had been only lightly pickled and that had not yet changed color very much.[citation needed] The term is now also used more broadly to refer to pickles in general.
== Creation ==
To make tsukemono, one needs a container, salt, and something to apply downward pressure on top of the pickles.
A tsukemonoki (漬物器) ("pickling container") is a Japanese pickle press. The pressure is generated by heavy stones called tsukemono ishi (漬物石) ("pickle stone") with a weight of one to two kilograms, sometimes more. This type of pickle press is still in use, and can be made from a variety of materials, such as plastic, wood, glass, or ceramic. Before tsukemono ishi came into use, the pressure was applied by driving a wedge between the handle of the container and its lid.
The weights are either stone or metal, with a handle on top and often covered with a layer of food-neutral plastic. Another modern type of pickle press is usually made from plastic, and the necessary pressure is generated by turning a screw and clamping down onto the pickles.
Asazuke is a pickling method characterized by its short preparation time.
Type 	Kanji 	Pickling ingredient
Shiozuke 	塩漬け 	salt
Suzuke 	酢漬け 	vinegar
Amasuzuke 	甘酢漬け 	sugar and vinegar
Misozuke 	味噌漬け 	miso
Shoyuzuke 	醤油漬け 	soy sauce
Kasuzuke 	粕漬け 	sake kasu (sake lees)
Kojizuke 	麹漬け 	mold-cultured rice
Nukazuke 	糠漬け 	rice bran
Karashizuke	からし漬け 	hot mustard
Satozuke 	砂糖漬け 	sugar
== Varieties ==
Takuan (daikon), umeboshi (ume plum), turnip, cucumber, and Chinese cabbage are among the favorites to be eaten with rice as an accompaniment to a meal.
Beni shōga (red ginger pickled in umeboshi brine) is used as a garnish on okonomiyaki, takoyaki and yakisoba.
Gari (thinly sliced young ginger that has been marinated in a solution of sugar and vinegar) is used between dishes of sushi to cleanse the palate.
Rakkyōzuke (pickled rakkyō, a type of onion) is often served with Japanese curry. Rakkyōzuke is slightly acid and sweet, with a mild and "fresh" taste, due to being preserved in vinegar and mirin, which also remove its bitterness. It is used to balance the stronger flavors of some other components in a meal.
Fukujinzuke is a mixture of daikon, eggplant, lotus root and cucumber which is pickled and flavored with soy sauce.
Bettarazuke is a kind of pickled daikon popular in Tokyo.
Matsumaezuke is a pickled dish (native to Matsumae, Hokkaidō) made from surume (dried squid), konbu, kazunoko (herring roe), carrot and ginger with a mixture of sake, soy sauce and mirin.
Nozawana is a pickled leaf vegetable typical of Nagano Prefecture.
Category:Japanese Food Glossary
Category:Macrobiotic Food Glossary
Category:Fermented Foods
Category:Vegetables
Category:Rice bran Recipes
Category:Miso Recipes
Category:Salt Recipes
Category:Pickle Recipes