🍱 Hakusai-no-tatami-zuke (Napa cabbage Pickles)

The "Hakusai-no-tatamizuke", in which the leaves of the Napa cabbage, are peeled off one by one and pickled with Red chili pepper, and kelp, is an application of the leaf-stem pickling technique that has been eaten in the Kohoku region for a long time. It is said that pickling in the Anegawa River basin, where Mt. Ibuki can be seen, keeps the pickled vegetables from falling apart when cut with a knife. It is a unique pickle cultivated by the local climate. In Shiga Prefecture, Napa cabbage, is grown in the open fields from October to March, mainly in Higashiomi City, and many households have been making pickles using Napa cabbage, in winter. Among them, "Hakusai-no-tatamizuke" is a beautiful looking pickle and an indispensable dish for Houonko, New Year's, Shinto rituals, Buddhist memorial services, weddings, and building celebrations. In some cases, shredded kelp, sliced “Taka-no-tsume (=red chili pepper)”, green leaves, etc. are added in places. Although it is eaten throughout the year, it is not pickled in the summer because Napa cabbage, is difficult to obtain and tends to fail when it gets too hot.