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Vegetables from northern Higashi-Kishū, Mie, Japan

Yatsugashira kuki-zuke (Mie taro-stem and red-shiso pickle)八つ頭の茎漬け

Unpeeled stems of yatsugashira taro are salted under 20 kg of stones for a day and a night, and the drawn liquid is thrown away. They are then repacked with liquid from a finished batch and red shiso coloured with ume vinegar, turned top to bottom each day under a lighter and lighter weight, and ready in 4 to 5 days. It is a summer pickle that must be kept cold.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Yatsugashira kuki-zuke itself.

DocumentedVegetables5 days – 6 days

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceMAFF regional-cuisine recipe for one pickle tub, from 三重の味 千彩万彩 (Mie food culture study group); the page notes that recipes vary by area and household.
Yatsugashira taro stems10 kgThick, fleshy stems; leaves and the inner shoot removed, skin left on[maff-mie]
Salt500 g[maff-mie]
Red shiso leaves1 kgRubbed with a handful of salt to draw out bitterness[maff-mie]
Ume vinegar, or vinegar100 mlTo bring out the shiso colour[maff-mie]
Liquid from an earlier finished batch (yobimizu)1300 ml[maff-mie]
Starterbackslop (liquid from a finished batch)

Total time across the recorded steps: 5 days – 6 days

Start
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What changes: The stems are salted under 20 kg of stones for a day and a night, and the liquid is poured off

Step 1 of 4
Pre-pickle in salt under stones (karizuke)
Time
24 h
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: drawn liquid, thrown away.

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

Unpeeled stems of yatsugashira taro are salted under 20 kg of stones for a day and a night, and the drawn liquid is thrown away. They are then repacked with liquid from a finished batch and red shiso coloured with ume vinegar, turned top to bottom each day under a lighter and lighter weight, and ready in 4 to 5 days. It is a summer pickle that must be kept cold. Made in 4 steps over 5 days – 6 days. The longest step, main pickle with old liquid and red shiso, takes 4–5 days (MAFF うちの郷土料理 (Our regional cuisines) 2026).

Key numbers
Main step4–5 daysReported[maff-mie]Main pickle with old liquid and red shiso

What makes this one different

The pickle is seeded with liquid from an earlier batch, and the weight is lightened each day so the stems draw the juice back in. The recipe warns that at room temperature fermentation runs on and spoils the taste and colour, so it must be kept in the fridge.

Related ferments

Safety

The recipe says to store it in the refrigerator, because at room temperature fermentation goes on and spoils the taste and colour.

History and sources

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

  1. [maff-mie] MAFF うちの郷土料理 (Our regional cuisines), 野菜の漬物 (Mie), 八つ頭の茎漬け recipe from 三重の味 千彩万彩 (Mie shoku-bunka kenkyūkai), read 2026-10-23gov