Umeboshi on a fresh green shiso leaf. |
Umeboshi
Early summer is the season for the velvety
green ume, perhaps the quintessential Japanese fruit.
Known generally as the Japanese plum, the ume is actually a variety of apricot.
The plump, deceptively sweet-looking ume
is actually quite sour and is seldom eaten
raw; instead, it's salt-cured and sun dried
for several days to create a purely Japanese
creation: the wrinkled pink umeboshi.
First, ume are pickled in tubs of salt. Weights
are placed on the fruit in the tubs, and
after about 20 days the fruit is taken out
and spread on mats in the sun. This process
is repeated several times, and finally red
shiso (perilla) leaves are added to the tubs to
add fragrance and a soft red color. The final
result - umeboshi - can be kept for several
years; the older they are, the more mellow
their taste.
The umeboshi has been valued from ancient times for its
medicinal properties. The fruit has the reputation
of being germicidal, and is thus placed with
rice in box lunches to prevent spoiling.
Thanks to its generous dose of vitamin C,
eating one umeboshi a day is said to ensure good health by stimulating
the appetite and helping digestion - it's
also considered effective against fatigue.
On New Year's Day, an umeboshi is placed in the first morning's tea to assure
good health all year long.
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