An Ode to Tsukemono: pickled Japanese veggies

While in Japan, and staying at my in-laws house, we were often treated to good homemade Japanese cooking.1, and the differences in eating habits are readily apparent compared to Western cooking:

  • Instead of large dishes, food is typically served in more numerous but smaller dishes.
  • Pickled vegetables are a very common side dish.

Pickled vegetables, or tsukemono (漬物), come in a very wide variety. Typically we ate pickled, salted cucumbers, eggplants, spinach and other foods with rice. This is not the same as eating, say, Korean kimchi which is pungent and super spicy (albeit super-delicious and extremely healthy). My mother-in-law also served kimchi, by the way, as Korean food is rather popular in Japan. Anyway, tsukemono is very light, though pretty salty. My wife doesn’t like me eating tsukemono much as I have been diagnosed with hypertension even at a young age and tsukemono has high sodium levels. I remind her that it’s still much better than eating fried chicken.

Speaking from experience, after getting into a habit of eating tsukemono daily, or large vegetables in large quantities over a few days, I felt quite a better. I am not just talking about the improved digestion, but also less lethargic, and no heartburn or other problems.2

Also, pickling often introduces other health benefits (as in the case of Kimchi), where certain chemical processes introduce other nutrients, but also the sheer variety of vegetables to eat ensure people can find something they like. I didn’t care for the eggplant as much, but I liked the cold spinach and cucumbers a lot. In the old days, pickling was no doubt necessary for Asian cultures as it was in European cultures due to lack of refrigeration, but clearly cultural experience ensured that only the best and most beneficial practices persisted generation after generation, so people can learn a thing or two from traditional Asian diets.

The obvious takeaway is: eat more vegetables! Lots and lots more vegetables! When I came back to the US a couple weeks ago, I couldn’t believe how much garbage we eat due to poor dietary habits and simply not knowing better. This is due in large part to our European heritage where colder climates meant less variety of vegetables and also a greater need to consume fats to stay warm. In Ireland, dairy foods and meats were fantastic, but vegetables were often lacking unless you shopped somewhere posh like Marks and Spencer’s.3 The problem wasn’t quality, just variety in preparation. But it’s not just Ireland, as I noticed elsewhere in the EU, and also in the U.S.

So, I hope people take a que from Asian culture, and learn new and novel ways to prepare and serve vegetables. I think that if we can improve our culinary skills with veggies, people will be more inclined to eat them, rather than stuffing ourselves on meats alone. If we get full on vegetables, which have far fewer calories and fats, and more nutrients, we cannot help but lose weight. Also, veggies cost a lot less than meat dishes on average.

Nor does it have to be Asian food though, as European/American food has a long tradition of pickling as well. I guess we’ve simply forgotten our culinary roots in the quest for conspicuous consumption.

P.S. Thanks to my wife after all these years for introducing me to a more balanced diet. :)

1 Not to brag, but my mother-in-law is about the only person I know who cooks better than my wife. Culinary talent runs in that family (hopefully my daughter will learn it too).

2 An old co-worker in college who was a Ph.D. in anthropology taught me once that Human intenstines were long like other herbivores, and that large quantities of meat or dairy sit and rot, leading to other issues. Small, small quantities by contrast were OK.

3 One of those things I miss terribly from the EU. Best… store… ever.

About Doug

A Buddhist, father and Japanophile / Koreaphile.
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5 Responses to An Ode to Tsukemono: pickled Japanese veggies

  1. Troo says:

    Mmm, tsukemono. I too am not so keen on the aubergine, but my absolute favourite is daikon. Love it!

  2. Kelly says:

    Oh yes! I love Marks and Spencers! They were a godsend for a traveler, because they sell individually packaged fruits and veg. I felt guilty because of the environmental impact, but I ate quite healthy in London. Actually, a few other stores there also sold healthy on-the-go snacks.

  3. Jonathan says:

    YUM. I love all the Japanese veggies, AND Mark’s and Spencer’s (heading to UK as I type this). My best vegetarian food experience (ever) has to be eating the monk-produced vegetarian meals while staying at Koya-San.

  4. Doug says:

    Hi Everyone,

    Didn’t realize tsukemono was so popular. :)

    Troo I like the cucumbers myself. :)

    Kelly Yes, I wish I had found this sooner. Excellent food, and we ate a lot of it while in Ireland. :)

    Jonathan I had a similar experience at a Zen temple in Kyoto (Ryuanji, blog post somewhere here…), and it was awesome. :)

  5. Troo says:

    Mmm, the cucumbers! Omnomnom!

    If it helps, Kelly, M&S package their fruit in biodegradable corn starch rather than plastic :)

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