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Vegetables from Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan

Hi-no-kabura-zuke (Matsuyama scarlet turnip)緋の蕪漬

Hi-no-kabura-zuke is a sweet-sour pickle of Matsuyama's scarlet turnip. The turnips soak overnight, are sliced and salted for 4–5 days, then steeped in daidai (bitter orange) juice and sugar for about a week. The scarlet colour comes from the turnip's anthocyanin reacting with the acid.

Fully documentedVegetables11 days – 12 days

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe MAFF household recipe for one pickling container, from the Ehime tourism association's book of local dishes.
Hi-no-kabura (scarlet turnip)1 kgWashed; peeled where it will not come clean[maff-hino]
Salt50 g (5 % of the turnip weight)[maff-hino]
Daidai juice (rice vinegar can stand in)300–350 mlSqueezed from sliced daidai; kabosu or yuzu juice is also used[maff-hino][maff-hino-tf]
Sugar250 gAdjusted to taste[maff-hino]
VinegarAs neededAdded to the daidai juice for a brighter colour[maff-hino]

Total time across the recorded steps: 11 days – 12 days

Start
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Close-up: water moving into a piece

What changes: Peeled turnips soak overnight in plenty of water to lose their harsh taste

Step 1 of 5
Wash, peel and soak the turnips overnight
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: turnips with the harsh taste (aku) soaked out.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Hi-no-kabura-zuke is a sweet-sour pickle of Matsuyama's scarlet turnip. The turnips soak overnight, are sliced and salted for 4–5 days, then steeped in daidai (bitter orange) juice and sugar for about a week. The scarlet colour comes from the turnip's anthocyanin reacting with the acid. Made in 5 steps over 11 days – 12 days. The longest step, steep in daidai juice and sugar, takes 7 days (Ministry of Agriculture 2026). Salt is 5 % (Ministry of Agriculture 2026).

Key numbers
Main step7 daysReported[maff-hino]Steep in daidai juice and sugar
Salt5 %Reported[maff-hino]Slice into rounds and salt

What makes this one different

Unlike Hida akakabu-zuke, which is soured in salt alone, this pickle is salted and then steeped in daidai juice and sugar. Unlike Kawachi akakabura no suzuke, the acid is bitter-orange juice rather than plain vinegar.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Kabosu or yuzu versionKabosu or yuzu juice is used in place of daidai.

Safety

The sourness comes from added daidai juice, to which vinegar may be added. The MAFF recipe does not describe a fermentation.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The turnip is said to come from the Hino turnip of Ōmi, brought to Matsuyama when Gamō Tadatomo took over the domain in the early Edo period. It is named in the Iyo-bushi folk song, and Masaoka Shiki wrote a haiku about it. A bright colour is said to mean a lucky year.

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
  1. [maff-hino] Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Uchi no kyōdo ryōri (Our regional cuisines), 緋の蕪漬 (Ehime); recipe from Ehime kyōdo ryōri monogatari (Ehime Tourism Association), read 2026-10gov
  2. [maff-hino-tf] MAFF, Nippon dentōshoku zukan (Japanese traditional foods guide), 緋のかぶら漬け, read 2026-10gov
  3. [iguchi2021] Iguchi H. 2021, Microbial characterization of the Japanese traditional pickle senmaizuke produced by two different manufacturing processes, Food Science & Nutrition 9(8):4452–4460 (PMC8358362)paper