Shibazuke

Shibazuke

What it is

The colour is not dye: aubergine and cucumber salted with Ōhara red shiso stain magenta because lactic fermentation drops the pH and turns the leaf's anthocyanin red. The story goes that Kenreimon-in, the retired empress living out her years at Jakkō-in after the fall of the Taira, was given the pickle by Ōhara villagers and named it for its purple leaves.

In the kitchen

Buy nama-shibazuke, the fermented kind, not the vinegar-dressed supermarket version — the mark to look for is 生, and it lives in the chiller. Chop it fine and fold it through hot rice off the heat; heating destroys both the crunch and the colour.

Goes with

Eggplant Red shiso Cucumber Myoga Rice Salt Umezu

Same species

Bintje potato Black Krim tomato Bonnotte de Noirmoutier Chuño Datterino tomato Eggplant

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