Tsukemono: What is Tsubo Zuke (壺漬け)?

During shopping at a Welcia drugstore the other day, I looked around its Tsukemono pickles section to hunt for something interesting and found this Tsubo Zuke (つぼ漬/壺漬け) (Price: 100 yen).

Tsubo Zuke (壺漬け)

Tsubo Zuke is a traditional Japanese pickle from the southern Kyushu region. Specifically, the food originated in Kagoshima Prefecture, but today, it is widely available around Japan.

Tsubozuke originally referred to dried Daikon radishes pickled with salt and fermented in a ceramic pot called Tsubo (壺). But later, producers came to marinate it with soy sauce in tanks.

That is because the demand much exceeded the supply, and now, the salted version has a different name, known as Yamakawa Zuke (山川漬け).

Ingredients/Making

This Tsubo Zuke uses a pickling solution consisting of sugar, salt, soy sauce, brewed vinegar, and spice. Incidentally, for your reference, this recipe calls for drying Daikon slices for an entire day and marinating for at least half a day in the fridge.

Taste/Uses

Generally, Tsubozuke has a pleasantly crunchy texture and a mild, easy-to-eat taste. It is sweet with moderate saltiness and, as with other Tsukemono varieties, goes well with white rice, including Onigiri (rice ball) and Ochazuke (rice soup).

(Reference Page: Wikipedia 壺漬け )