Uwajiwhat: Umeboshi

We always thought ume was a plum. After all, the Chinese smoke ume to make what’s called sour plum juice. That thick, sweet plum sauce you brush on your chicken or ribs also comes from this fruit. And while our Japanese dictionary tells us that umeboshi translates literally to “dried plum,” ume actually comes from a species of the apricot tree.

Ume is popular in candy, chips, wine and vinegar (delicious for salad dressing!), but we especially like umeboshi. These wrinkly balls are made by curing the fruit in sea salt, packing them in salted red shiso leaves, and drying them on bamboo mats in the sun. Especially in the countryside, some families still make them at home, keeping containers of various vintages.

You can find umeboshi in the middle of certain onigiri (rice balls wrapped in nori), though we sometimes chop it up and put it on the rice along with shiso, nori and natto (we’ll discuss this wonder in the future). In fact, you’ll typically see a single umeboshi in a bento box, often in the center of the rice to replicate the Japanese flag (and, more practically, using it high citric content to act as a preservative for the rice). We often put a prized umeboshi on its own plate and nibble on it throughout the meal.

Despite the high salt content, the Japanese consider umeboshi to be extremely healthy. Samurai warriors ate them to fight fatigue. Their extreme sourness stimulates secretion of saliva and gastric juices, so they’re great for digestion, metabolism, and liver functions. And they help combat colds and flu. As Japanese elders still say, “An umeboshi a day keeps the doctor away.”