Umeboshi, a Japanese pickled fruit made with ume, has a sweet, salty, and sour flavor. It is high in sodium and has health benefits, such as soothing digestive issues. It can be found in Japanese markets and is used in rice balls, sushi, and salad dressings.
Umeboshi is a Japanese food often translated as “pickled plums”. Despite this common moniker, it’s actually made with the ume fruit, which is more closely related to an apricot than a plum. This pickled fruit has a distinct flavor that is a combination of sweet, salty, and sour.
This Japanese pickle is typically made by soaking ume fruits in salted water with a few red shiso leaves added for color. This item is prepared at home by some Japanese families, even though it is readily available in stores. Packaged umeboshi can be found in Japanese markets and occasionally in Chinese markets or in the Asian foods section of large grocery stores.
In Japan, the Wakayama area is the leading producer of umeboshi. Minabe, a city in Wakayama, produces the most ume of any city in Japan. While the specific recipes for this pickled fruit may vary from one manufacturer to another, it is always high in sodium due to the large amount of salt required to prepare it.
One of the more traditional ways to prepare umeboshi is to stuff the small pickled fruit inside a rice ball. This can be served for both lunch and dinner. The fruits can also be used in sushi dishes or salad dressings. Some more adventurous diners will drop a single pickled ume fruit into a glass of vodka.
These small fruits have a pit that must be removed before the umebashi is eaten. The pit is often removed during meal preparation, however some umeboshi dishes contain whole umeboshi with the pits still inside. Although umeboshi are most commonly purchased whole, the fruit is also pureed into a paste, which can be purchased for use in soups and sauces.
In addition to being tasty, this Japanese fruit product has a plethora of purported health benefits. It is believed to soothe diarrhea, vomiting and indigestion. Viral infections and bacterial infections can also be treated with the fruit. Instead of eating the whole pickled ume, a tea is often brewed for these medicinal treatments.
Just as the apple is considered an important fruit to consume every day in Western medicine, a pickled plum a day is considered equally useful among the Japanese. In Japan, meals are sometimes followed by a single umeboshi. This is consumed simply to aid digestion and promote overall health.
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