Pickles

Though pickles are found in nearly every cuisine throughout the world, the Japanese take particular pride in their own vast assortment. Pickling was begun as a practical approach to food preservation, but developed into a highly refined art as early as the fourteenth century. Referred to as “the fragrant things” by Masters of the Tea Ceremony, aromatic pickles run the gamut from pungent to mild. The Japanese use a variety of pickling agents, though rice bran (nuka) and coarse salt (shio) are the most commonly found in home kitchens. Vegetables predominate, but fish and occasionally fruits are pickled, too.