Sunki-zuke (Salt-Free Fermented Turnip Greens)
Sunki-zuke (Salt-Free Fermented Turnip Greens)
Sunki-zuke is a pickle handed down in the Kiso area of Nagano Prefecture, made by lactic-acid fermenting the stems and leaves of red turnips without using any salt at all. Locally it is also simply called 'sunki.' It is said to have originated in Otaki Village and the Kaida Kogen highlands of Kiso Town at the foot of Mt. Ontake, and it has been made for at least 300 years. Because salt was precious in these mountain valleys far from the sea, it is thought to have developed as a way of preserving winter vegetables with the power of the acid produced by fermentation. A distinctive feature is that the previous year's sunki is used as a 'starter' (tane) for pickling, and several kinds of plant-derived lactic acid bacteria are at work. The finished pickle is amber in color and has a refreshing sourness. Salt-free lactic-acid fermented foods are rare both in Japan and abroad, and in 2017 (Heisei 29) it was registered under the national Geographical Indication (GI) protection system. 'Sunki soba,' in which sunki is placed on hot soba, is loved as a taste of winter in Kiso.
Origin
Sunki is said to have originated in Otaki Village and the Kaida Kogen highlands of Kiso Town, high-altitude areas at the foot of Mt. Ontake. Land with severe cold was well suited to growing red turnips, the raw ingredient. On the other hand, salt was extremely precious in the mountains far from the sea. It is therefore thought that a method developed in which winter vegetables were not salted but were made to keep longer by using the acid produced by lactic-acid fermentation. The raw ingredients, the Otaki turnip and the Kaida turnip, are also said to appear in records from about 300 years ago.
History
Sunki appears in a renku (linked verse) composed by Basho's school of poets during the Genroku era of the Edo period, and it is said to have existed at least 300 years ago. In 1972 (Showa 47), the local agricultural cooperative began selling it. In 1983 (Showa 58), it was chosen as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property Selected by Nagano Prefecture under the name 'Sunki-zuke.' In May 2017 (Heisei 29), it was registered under the national Geographical Indication (GI) protection system as 'Sunki.'
Features
The stems and leaves of red turnips are blanched briefly in hot water and pickled with a starter such as 'sunki-boshi,' which is the previous year's sunki dried and stored. Its greatest feature is that no salt is added and it is fermented solely by the action of plant-derived lactic acid bacteria. The finished pickle is amber in color and has a refreshing sourness that comes from lactic acid. Red turnips that have been exposed to frost two or three times before harvest are said to become sweeter, and sunki is made in early winter.
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
Sunki is eaten as it is with dried bonito flakes and soy sauce, and is also enjoyed in dishes such as 'sunki-jiru,' miso soup with sunki, and 'sunki soba,' with sunki placed on hot soba. Recently it has also been used in Western-style dishes such as salads and pasta. A sunki competition is held in Kiso Town, and in winter there is also a fair in which people tour the shops that serve sunki.
How It Differs from Home Cooking
In households, each family has passed down its own starter and pickled sunki as a preserved food for winter. Many soba restaurants in the Kiso area serve sunki soba for a limited time in winter. Because each restaurant differs in where its turnips come from and how sour it makes the dish, you can notice the differences by comparing them. In Kaida Kogen, there is also a restaurant that serves a dish combining sunki with Toji Soba (Soba Dipped in Hot Pot Broth).
Famous Shops
くるまや本店
長野県木曽郡木曽町福島5367-2
A handmade soba restaurant about a seven-minute walk from JR Kiso-Fukushima Station. It is known for soba made with buckwheat flour it mills itself. The winter-only sunki soba starts at about 990 yen, and the restaurant closes once it sells out.
そば處 中西屋
長野県木曽郡木曽町開田高原西野1-39
A soba restaurant in Kaida Kogen, said to be the birthplace of sunki. According to an introduction by the Nagano Prefecture Kiso Regional Development Bureau, it serves winter-only sunki soba for about 1,200 yen. You can stop by during a drive through the highlands overlooking Mt. Ontake.
木曽馬の里 おみやげお食事センター 一本木亭
長野県木曽郡木曽町開田高原末川5552-8
A restaurant at 'Kiso Uma no Sato,' where you can meet the Kiso horse, a native Japanese horse breed. According to an introduction by the Nagano Prefecture Kiso Regional Development Bureau, it serves sunki soba for about 1,390 yen. It is an easy place to stop by while sightseeing in Kaida Kogen.
| 道の駅 木曽福島 | A roadside station (michi-no-eki) along National Route 19 at 4061-1 Fukushima, Kiso Town. It is known as a spot with a view of Mt. Ontake. In winter, it sells salt-free sunki as a Kiso specialty. Because sunki is made only in winter, it is mainly on the shelves in winter as well. |
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FAQ
Q. Is sunki really made without salt?
A. Yes. Sunki is made by lactic-acid fermenting the stems and leaves of red turnips without using any salt at all. It developed in the mountains of Kiso, where salt was precious, as a way of preserving vegetables with the acid produced by fermentation. Salt-free lactic-acid fermented foods are said to be rare both in Japan and abroad.
Q. Is it the same as Kyoto's 'suguki-zuke'?
A. The names are similar, but they are different pickles. Sunki uses red turnips native to the Kiso area and is pickled without salt. Another feature is that the lactic acid bacteria are carried on by using the previous year's sunki as a starter, and it is regarded as a unique method tied to the climate of Kiso.
Q. What is the sunki 'starter' (tane)?
A. It is the source of the lactic acid bacteria that triggers fermentation. The typical method is to use 'sunki-boshi,' the previous year's sunki dried and stored, rehydrated in water. Methods that use sunki pickling liquid, or the fruit of zumi (a tree of the rose family) or wild mountain grapes as the starter, have also been handed down.
Q. When can I eat sunki?
A. Because sunki is mainly made in winter, it is mostly available in winter as well. Many soba restaurants in the Kiso area serve sunki soba for a limited time in winter. If you visit Kiso in winter, be sure to try it.