🍱 Senshumizunasu no asazuke

Senshu mizu-nasu is a brand-name vegetable representative of the Senshu area, which stretches across southern Osaka. These eggplants are pickled in bran or pickling seasoning for a short period of time. Compared to other eggplants, Senshu mizu-nasu has a plump, rounded shape, and its skin is thin and soft. As its name suggests, the eggplant has so much moisture that water drips down when squeezed tightly, and it is characterized by its freshness with a hint of sweetness. It can be eaten raw as it has little acridity, but it is most often eaten as a pickle in a bed of salted rice bran or in a seasoning solution. The most popular type of pickled eggplant is asazuke, in which the freshness of the eggplant can be enjoyed. The Senshu area is blessed with moderate temperature and humidity near the sea, making it ideal for growing mizu-nasu, and it is said that mizu-nasu will not grow as well as mizu-asu grown in other areas. Mizunasu has been cultivated in the Senshu area since the early Edo period. Because of its thin skin, it is not suitable for transportation, and when made into pickles, the skin turns a dull brown color. Subsequently, the variety was improved, and a variety with a brightly colored skin appeared, making Senshu mizu nasu asazuke (pickled eggplant) widely known throughout the country.