Image: Wikimedia Commons
Aka Kabu Zuke is a local dish of the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture made by salting the region's specialty red turnips and allowing them to undergo lactic fermentation. In the Hida region, which sits at high elevation and is blanketed in snow through the winter, pickling has been practiced in individual households since the Edo period as a vital way to preserve food for the season when vegetables cannot be harvested. It is also said to have developed as a way to boost preservability using only a small amount of salt, since salt was once precious in this mountainous area. The Hida beni-kabu red turnip used in today's Aka Kabu Zuke originated from a naturally occurring red-colored mutant discovered in 1918 (Taisho 7) among the traditional Yoshika turnip variety. Natural pigments in the turnip's skin combine with lactic fermentation to produce its vivid red color along with a subtle tartness and sweetness, and it is also popular as a signature souvenir of Hida-Takayama.
Origin
In the deep-set, snowbound Hida region, pickles served as a vital food source during the season when vegetables could not be harvested. Since the Edo period, each household has passed down its own method of salting red turnips, and this is said to have developed as a way of boosting preservability using only a small amount of salt, since salt was once precious in this mountainous area.
History
The main ingredient used in Aka Kabu Zuke today, the Hida beni-kabu red turnip, traces back to 1918 (Taisho 7), when a red-colored mutant was discovered among the traditional Yoshika turnip variety. Since then, this Hida beni-kabu has become the standard ingredient for Aka Kabu Zuke, and it came to be produced at pickle shops throughout the Hida region.
Features
The turnip's abundant natural sugars, combined with the action of lactic acid bacteria, produce its distinctive flavor with a subtle tartness. Its vivid red color comes not from artificial coloring but from natural pigments contained in the turnip's skin, and as fermentation progresses, even the flesh — originally white — gradually turns red, deepening the flavor as well.
Main Ingredients
Famous Shops
株式会社 飛騨山味屋
岐阜県高山市西之一色町3-8
A long-established pickle shop founded in 1919 (Taisho 8). Its chopped pickle product Kuishinbo costs around 626 yen for 130g.
View details →| 若宮 丸漬け | A product made by slowly pickling organically grown red turnips in natural salt. It uses no artificial coloring or preservatives, letting the natural flavor of the red turnip shine through.Where to buy →PR |
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FAQ
Q. Is the red color of Aka Kabu Zuke from artificial coloring?
A. No artificial coloring is used — the color develops naturally from the pigments contained in the red turnip's skin. The longer it is pickled, the further the red color spreads into the flesh, which was originally white.