In Japan, pickles, known as tsukemono, are as ubiquitous as photos of Mount Fuji!
Fermented vegetables are a useful component in a balanced diet.
| Japanese Pickles | |
| Japanese name | Description |
| Asazuke | Lightly picked vegetables |
| Takuan | Pickled daikon |
| Kimchi | Salted and fermented cabbage and radish |
| Nukazuke | Rice-bran fermented vegetables |
| Hakusaizuke | Pickled Chinese cabbage |
| Shiozuke | Salt-pickled vegetables |
| Umeboshi | Salt-pickled plums |
| Nozawanazuke | Pickled turnip leaves |
| Shibazuke | Pickled eggplant and cucumber |
| Fukujinzuke | Soy-sauce-pickled vegetables |
| Rakkyo | Sweet pickled Chinese onions |
| Takanazuke | Pickled mustard leaf |
| Senmaizuke | Pickled bulbous Kyoto turnip |
| Amazuzuke | Sweet-vinegar-pickled vegetables |
Source: Nippon.com (note above), Conceptasia, March 2023
Pickles are a source of enzymes and probiotic microorganisms, because of the fermentation process. It is increasingly understood that the diversity of the gut microbiome is critical for the body’s efficient processing of food. A damaged gut microbiome is associated with weight gain and other problems. A fermented food-rich diet has been found to increase microbe diversity.
A second benefit of tsukemono comes from the essential vitamins, minerals, e.g., potassium, polyphenols and dietary fiber found in vegetables. Polyphenols have antibacterial and antioxidative effects.
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