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Vegetables from Kawachi, Miyama area of Fukui City, Fukui, Japan

Kawachi akakabura no suzuke (Fukui)赤かぶらの酢漬け

The Kawachi red turnip, grown by slash-and-burn on steep slopes, is sliced, salted under a weight and drained, then pickled in vinegar and coarse sugar for one to two weeks. Stirred from the bottom once or twice a day, it turns red right through. It is mostly a vinegar pickle; the short salting before it only draws out the bitter juice.

Fully documentedVegetables9 days – 32 days

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe MAFF recipe for one pickling container, after the Shoku no yorozu kenkyūjo and Saihakken! Fukui no shoku; the amounts in brackets are today's lighter version.
Kawachi red turnip1 kgNot peeled; cut lengthwise along the fibres, 5 mm thick[maff-kawachi]
Salt40 g (30 g today)[maff-kawachi]
VinegarA little over 1 cup (100 cc today)[maff-kawachi]
Zarame (coarse sugar)150 g[maff-kawachi]
Starteracid-set with vinegar and sugar, after a short salting

Total time across the recorded steps: 9 days – 32 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play

What changes: The red turnip is cut along its fibres into slices 5 mm thick, skin on

Step 1 of 4
Cut the unpeeled turnip lengthwise into slices
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: 5 mm red turnip slices.

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

The Kawachi red turnip, grown by slash-and-burn on steep slopes, is sliced, salted under a weight and drained, then pickled in vinegar and coarse sugar for one to two weeks. Stirred from the bottom once or twice a day, it turns red right through. It is mostly a vinegar pickle; the short salting before it only draws out the bitter juice. Made in 4 steps over 9 days – 32 days. The longest step, pickle in vinegar and coarse sugar, stirring from the bottom, takes 7–30 days (Ministry of Agriculture 2026). Salt is 3–4 % (Ministry of Agriculture 2026).

Key numbers
Main step7–30 daysReported[maff-kawachi]Pickle in vinegar and coarse sugar, stirring from the bottom
Salt3–4 %Reported[maff-kawachi]Pickle in vinegar and coarse sugar, stirring from the bottom

What makes this one different

Its slash-and-burn growing is the only one left in Fukui. Its flesh is firm and slightly bitter, and MAFF says it is not suited to one-night pickles. This pickle gets its acid from added vinegar, not from fermentation.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Shredded versionJulienned turnip, rubbed with salt and drained; ready in about a week.

Safety

The sourness comes from added vinegar rather than from fermentation.

History and sources

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

The turnip has been grown in Kawachi for over 800 years. A legend says Heike refugees brought the red turnip, the Heike colour, to the village. The seed is sown in mid-August on the mountain slope. Harvest starts in late October and peaks in November, when the cold makes it sweeter.

Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [maff-kawachi] Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Uchi no kyōdo ryōri (Our regional cuisines), 赤かぶらの酢漬け (Fukui), read 2026-10gov
  2. [fukui-kawachi] Fukui Prefecture, nutrient sheet for traditional vegetables, 河内赤かぶら (slash-and-burn grown in the Miyama area; harvest October to November)gov
  3. [nosai-kawachi] NOSAI Fukui, Honami newsletter, October 2023 (week 4), 伝統野菜「河内赤かぶら」魅力伝え残す (grown by slash-and-burn on mountain slopes; sown in mid-August, harvest from mid to late October)web