The beginning of Nara-zuke

Nara-zuke is made by pickling salted vegetables and fruits in sake lees. This pickle has a strong impact with its tortoiseshell-colored visual and strong alcoholic flavor when you taste it. It is said to have originated more than 1,300 years ago when vegetables were pickled in doburoku, the prototype of sake, as a preserved food. At that time, sake made from rice was a luxury item, and there are documents that show that it was consumed by aristocrats in the Heijo-kyo Capital, making it a traditional Nara food. Later, in the Muromachi period (1333-1573), when the method of making sake was established in Nara, the process was changed to marinating in “sakekasu” (sake lees), and by the end of the Edo period (1603-1868), it was being sold as a commodity. At that time, Nara’s reputation for good sake attracted tourists, and it is said that the product became popular as a souvenir when they visited Nara and became “Nara-zuke,” named after the place where it was made. Mori Narazuke Shop, founded in 1869, is one of the inheritors of the Nara pickle making tradition that began with Nara’s sake culture. The store is located in front of the Nandaimon gate of Todaiji Temple and still receives enthusiastic support from tourists as a souvenir and from lovers and locals alike.

As with most pickles, the vegetables are first pickled with salt alone to remove the water from the vegetables. Once the water is sufficiently removed, the vegetables are next pickled in sake-kasu (sake lees). When the vegetables are soaked in sake-kasu, the salt is removed and the flavor of the sake-kasu soaks into the vegetables. The process of changing the sake lees is repeated two or more times. Incidentally, if this process is done only once, it is classified as “pickling with sakekasu. The color and flavor of the sakekasu is deepened and the taste is deepened by changing the blend of the sakekasu each time it is pickled and aged. The number of times the sake lees is changed differs from store to store, and the process of stepping in and the timing of changing the sake lees is all based on the longtime intuition of the artisan, who carefully carries out each step by hand, which is probably how Nara pickles with deep flavor are made. Sakekasu contains alcohol, and the alcohol content remaining after pickling is about 8%. One of the characteristics of Nara pickles is that the unique flavor and aroma of sakekasu can be enjoyed. If you feel the flavor of sakekasu is too strong, let it sit in the refrigerator for half a day after cutting, and the alcohol will dissipate and the original sweetness of sakekasu will increase, making it easier to eat.

How to make Nara-zuke

Furthermore, Mori Narazuke is characterized by the use of nothing but salt and sakekasu (sake lees). The sake lees is changed about five times, depending on the material to be pickled. The salt content is lower than that of ordinary pickles. The sweet aftertaste comes from the rice malt and is a completely natural fermented food. Therefore, it is a little spicy and goes well with rice and sake. There are 13 kinds of vegetables to be pickled. All of them are selected from contracted farmers. They have tried their hand at Nara-zuke, a traditional vegetable from Yamato called “Yamato Sanjaku Cucumber,” or pickling in an old-fashioned jar, and they never stop trying new things while keeping the traditional methods handed down from generation to generation.

Spreading Nara-zuke to the world

Mariko Mori, the fifth president of the company, is working on how to brand this traditional food and promote it, especially to young people who do not eat Nara pickles, from her unique female perspective.
　She is already working on an initiative to introduce new recipes using Nara pickles. She has already introduced new recipes using Nara pickles, such as “Narazuke Toast with Melted Cheese,” “Carpaccio with Narazuke Sake Kasu Dressing,” and “Basque Cheese Cake with Additive-Free Nara Pickles,” on her website and through social networking services. In addition to these efforts, she also uses the media to promote Nara-zuke and its beauty benefits.

It may not be long before the new generation of Nara pickles that Mr. Mori is promoting will be noticed around the world.

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Moriguchi-zuke from Yamatoya Moriguchi-zuke Sohonke is an amber-colored pickle, which is worthy of being called a “jewel of pickles. Moriguchi-zuke is a standard souvenir of Aichi Prefecture, made by pickling and aging Moriguchi daikon (radish), which grows to over one meter in length, for three years. I want to create a taste that is not to everyone’s taste, but one that has core fans even though some people don’t like it,” says President Moriguchi. The president of the company explains the history of Moriguchi-zuke.

Long, thin daikon radishes grown along the banks of the Kiso River are pickled.

In Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture, a variety of vegetables pickled with sake lees was very popular, but for some reason it has disappeared. The reason is not known, but it is said to be due to urban development.

The Moriguchi-zuke, which came to be known as Moriguchi-zuke along with Nara-zuke at Yamatoya Moriguchi-zuke Sohonke, founded in 1871, is made from Moriguchi daikon, a long, thin radish that grows only in the soft soil along the Kisogawa River. Although pickles pickled with sake lees more than once are collectively called “Narazuke,” the lees used in Nara pickles, the traditional pickles of Nara Prefecture, are mainly sake lees only. The company’s Nara-zuke and Moriguchi-zuke are characterized by the use of mirin (sweet sake) lees in addition to sake lees.

Moriguchi daikon used to be grown in Gifu Prefecture, upstream of the Kiso River, but its production has been expanded to Fuso Town in Aichi Prefecture, midstream of the river. Moriguchi daikon is a rare type of daikon that can grow to over 1 m in length due to the soft soil. 191.7 cm Moriguchi daikon grown in Fuso Town was recognized by Guinness World Records in 2013, making the name famous.

Spread throughout Japan in the 1950s as Aichi souvenirs

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke Sohonke began to focus on Moriguchizuke around 1945, when a delegation of the Emperor of Japan toured the country in 1946. When the Emperor’s entourage visited Nagoya, Moriguchi-zuke was presented as one of the local specialties, and the Emperor’s entourage liked it so much that they began to regularly supply it to the Imperial Household Agency.

Moriguchi-zuke became a mainstay of the Yamatoya Moriguchi-zuke head family, and Moriguchi-zuke was also a valued souvenir of the Aichi National Athletic Meet held in 1948, and thus became an established souvenir of Aichi Prefecture.

Because the region is known for its production of mirin (sweet sake) and sake

Aichi Prefecture, mainly in the Mikawa region and the Chita Peninsula, has been known as a major producer of mirin (sweet sake) and sake since the Edo period. Yamatoya Moriguchizuke Sohonke’s Moriguchizuke and Nara-zuke are mainly made from mirin and sake lees, which are purchased from companies that produce mirin and sake in Aichi Prefecture.

The first step in making pickles is to make the ingredients salty so that the water will drain out. This prevents the ingredients from spoiling for two to three years. However, since pickles are salty as they are, the company adds mirin (sweet sake) lees or sake lees to remove the salt content and add the flavor of sake lees. The salt is removed to soften the tough fibers of the daikon, and the flavor of sake tickles the nose. In addition, the mirin (sweet sake) lees adds richness and sweetness. Mirin is also used in the Moriguchizuke of Yamatoya Moriguchizuke Sohonke. Just as adding mirin in cooking makes the taste more gorgeous and deepens the flavor, so too, the final finishing of the pickles with mirin makes them taste many times more profound.

Slowly marinated and matured for 3 years

Since pickles have been made at home for a long time, the pickles you buy from us must be different, and you must be able to make people think that they are as good as you think they are. We are confident in this point,” says Masayoshi Suzuki, chairman of Yamatoya Moriguchizuke Sohonke.

The company’s method involves pickling the fish twice in salt, then marinating it in sake lees three times to remove the salt. The second pickling in sakekasu is done in a bed of sake lees, mirin (sweet sake with mirin), and syrup. The third and final pickling is done with sakekasu, mirin (sweet sake with mirin), mirin, and salted soybean flour. In this way, even though it is a pickles, it has a much sweeter taste.

Although the ingredients used for pickling are mixed in a certain way, craftsmen make adjustments according to the season, temperature, humidity, and other factors. Also, each brewer has its own unique flavor and aroma of sake lees and mirin (sweet sake and mirin) lees, so the artisan blends several kinds according to the type of pickles to be made. This is where the craftsmen show their skills.

It takes three years to complete the process. In addition, the production process is not left to machines; many parts are done by hand by craftsmen based on their experience, making it a gem that takes a lot of time and effort to cultivate.

Value “sweetness.”

The first thing you will notice when eating Moriguchizuke from Yamatoya Moriguchizuke Sohonke is its sweetness. Not only the sweetness of mirin (sweet sake) and mirin-kasu (sweet sake lees), but also the sweetness of the lees blended with syrup and the use of coarse soybean flour as a finishing touch. The taste is not too alcoholic, and even children can easily enjoy it.

Suzuki says, “Generally, pickles are thought of as spicy or salty, but we find value in the ‘sweetness’ of our products.

Major manufacturers are forced to be conscious of the average score in order to get their products on the shelves of supermarkets and other stores. Most of them aim for a score that is not 100, not 50, and somewhere in between. However, Yamatoya Moriguchizuke Sohonke does not aim for an average score. They are aiming for a taste that will attract a core fan base that will continue to buy their products even if they are so sharp that there are clear differences between likes and dislikes.

Many variations other than Moriguchi Daikon

Another characteristic of Yamatoya Moriguchizuke Sohonke is the wide variety of pickling ingredients. In addition to the Moriguchi daikon (radish) used in Moriguchizuke and other standard Nara pickles such as melon, cucumber, and ginger, the company also produces a wide variety of vegetables such as bamboo shoots and chrysanthemum. In addition, a related brand, Suzunami, a product made from fish marinated in mirin (sweet sake) lees, has become extremely popular. In the pickles industry, where many manufacturers are conservative, Suzunami may be an outlier.

Cheese with Mirin Kasu-zuke (pickles with mirin),” which makes the most of the pickles manufacturing process

There is also a product called “Cheese Mirin Kasu,” which is cream cheese marinated in mirin (sweet sake) lees, utilizing the Moriguchi-zuke pickling process. One bite and you will feel the rich sweetness of mirin while maintaining the aroma of cheese, which is truly a new taste sensation. It is a perfect accompaniment to sake, and once you try it, you will definitely want to repeat the experience.

When commercializing something that has never been done before, there are many voices of opposition even within the company. In the case of the commercialization of “Cheese Mirin Kasu-zuke”, there were some objections at first, and it took about five years of development before it was completed. Kizami Moriguchi-zuke, a product made by cutting Moriguchi-zuke into small pieces and arranging them so that they can be easily eaten as they are, is now one of the most popular products, but when it was first planned, some people opposed it, saying that its slim and long shape was its strong point. Reform also requires the power to carry through with one’s ideas.

Continuing the tradition, we will take on the challenge of being chosen in the future.

The company has taken on a variety of challenges in this way, but as dietary diversity has become the norm and all kinds of food have become part of the dining experience, the younger generation has become noticeably less interested in pickles, and the company has had to seriously address the issues it has long faced as a pickles manufacturer.

The company has therefore been urgently seeking to “balance quality and price with a view to convenience store sales” in recent years.

Of course, there has been much discussion about product development with an eye to youth demand, and the company has also developed products such as the aforementioned “Kizami Moriguchizuke” that are easy to eat.

However, this is only one of the hooks to get people interested in the company’s products. Mr. Suzuki has always believed that it is meaningless to develop products that are accessible to the younger generation unless they are placed in the right places.

Convenience stores are the first place where the younger generation can easily pick up products. In fact, even if the prices of products are slightly higher than those in supermarkets, young people are highly interested in the convenience of convenience stores.

However, they do not have the same high sales prices per customer as the souvenir shops and department stores that are the company’s main battlegrounds. For this reason, the company believes it is important to develop products that young people will want to pick up without sacrificing quality, at a price range that can be sold at convenience stores.

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke Sohonke, which has been preserving tradition and using its skills to create new products one after another, faces the challenge of young people’s shift away from pickles. If they only stick to tradition, they may lose touch with the needs of consumers, and if they pursue convenience, they may become cheap. However, the company, which has been developing avant-garde products, has the know-how and knowledge to solve this problem.

The post Moriguchi-zuke, a pickle made from the world’s longest daikon radish, from Yamatoya Moriguchi-zuke Sohonke first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Iburi gakko” was born out of nostalgia for iburi pickles.

Yuzawa City is surrounded on all sides by mountains and is known for its heavy snowfall.Winter comes early and lasts long.It is said that this has given birth to a unique culture of making pickles.The raw material for Iburi Gako is white-necked local daikon radish harvested in the fall.It is not suitable for raw consumption because it is long, pure white, tight, and spicy with little water content, but it is the best material for iburigakko.The Yuzawa area in the southern inland region of Akita Prefecture has an early snowfall and very few hours of sunlight due to its mountainous location.When trying to make takuan pickles, a common winter preservation food, it was necessary to hang the daikon radishes from beams inside the house to dry them, as drying them in the sun was not enough to remove the water content.A sunken hearth was located below, and the fire and smoke took the place of the sun.The strong acid from the smoke sterilized the surface of the daikon and improved its preservation.The strong acid from the smoke sterilized the surface of the daikon and enhanced its preservation.Yoshinobu Kimura, the representative of Kimuraya in Ogatsuno, says with a smile, “Iburi pickles may be the product of such a coincidence.

Iburi pickles are said to have originated as far back as the Muromachi period (1333-1573).The method of pickling varied, and each household had its own taste, which was passed down from generation to generation.However, with the spread of wood-burning stoves in the Showa period (1926-1989), the hearths in many homes decreased and iburi-zuke disappeared.In 1963, Kimuraya established a pickles shop in Yuzawa, taking advantage of the climate and ingredients suitable for making pickles.At first, Kimuraya made pickles of wild vegetables and kasuzuke (pickles with sake lees), but then Kimuraya began to receive calls from people who longed for the tsukemono pickles that had disappeared.Kimuraya began the challenge of recreating and commercializing the family tradition of iburi-zuke.From there, he went through many days of trial and error in order to recreate the fire in the sunken hearth.He discovered that by burning carefully selected hardwoods and drying them over an open fire, he could create a sweet smoky aroma that reminded him of the nostalgic hearth fire, which is unique to Iburi pickles.The smoked daikon is then quickly dipped in rice bran, salt, and pomelo sugar.The Iburi pickles, which are a Kimuraya family tradition, are named “Iburi Gakko” because pickles are called “Gakko” in Akita, and have become a favorite of many people.

Western-style arrangement using “Iburi Goko

The use of coarse sugar for pickles is also a method unique to this area.Yuzawa City once had the “Innai Ginzan” (silver mine), which was said to be the largest silver mine in the East, and the area was prosperous in its own right, so it was easy to obtain sugar, which was a luxury item at that time.This situation helped the use of sugar in pickles, and it became a standard method of production in Akita.The same logic applies to both sugar and salt: osmotic pressure pushes water out of the daikon radish.The difference is whether the flavor is sweet or salty.Kimura says that the reason why people say that iburigakko is easier to eat than ordinary pickles is because the use of sugar gives it a mellower taste.
After pickling, the fish is matured for more than 60 days.When the lactic acid fermentation begins in the barrel, the sound of “kopopop, kopopop” begins to be heard.Finally, the Iburi Gako is ready.
Iburi gakko is now known throughout Japan as a representative flavor of Akita.Iburi gakko has its origins in the “simple taste.There are many delicious foods in the world.I would be happy if people could try something simple like iburigakko once in a while and feel nostalgia,” says Kimura.
Recently, many people have been trying various ways to eat iburigakko, such as with cheese, in risotto, and in ochazuke (rice with green tea).People who like Iburi gakko tell me, “It was delicious when I ate it this way,” he says.
Iburi gakko is a product of the unique environment of Akita’s inland region of heavy snowfall.This winter, too, it has been maturing in the cold snowy country, quietly waiting for its perfection.

The post Smoke and pickle “Iburi Guko” grown by heavy snowfall “Ogatsuno Kimuraya” / Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.