🍱 Sunki-zuke
The mountainous Kiso region has a unique culinary tradition that includes a dish called "Sunki-zuke," using the leaves of red turnips. Sunki-zuke is a salt-free pickled dish made by lacto-fermenting the leaves of red turnips with the addition of sunki "seeds." In the Kiso region, it is known as a fermented food product, referred to as "sunki." During times when there was limited circulation and transportation, salt was considered a precious commodity in the remote and mountainous Kiso Valley, to the extent that there was a saying, "Lend rice, but never lend salt." To conserve salt, the locals developed the wisdom of making Sunki-zuke without using any salt. This pickled dish has a distinctive acidity, offering a unique taste compared to typical pickles. While the exact origins are uncertain, there are references to Sunki in a haiku written by a member of the Basho school, mentioning "Spring is ending with Sunki of Kiso." Additionally, approximately 150 years ago, old documents noted the presence of Sunki dishes. Thus, it is believed to have existed for at least 300 years. The red turnip used as the raw material is the "Kiso Kabu," a variety cultivated in the Kiso region. Among them are six local varieties: "Kaida kabu," "Odaki Kabu," "Mitake Kurose Kabu," "Yoshino Kabu," "Ashijima Kabu," and "Hosojima Kabu." The natural lactic acid bacteria found in the turnips are said to be particularly abundant in the stem and the base of the roots. In the past, fruits like small pears (zumi) and wild grapes found in the mountains were crushed and fermented to create sunki "seeds" (fermentation starters). Nowadays, people may use dried or frozen Sunki-zuke from the previous year as the sunki "seeds." Recent research indicates that Sunki-zuke contains lactobacilli comparable to yogurt, with about four suitable lactobacilli strains identified from over 300. Since the year 2003, in-depth research on Sunki lactobacilli has been conducted by a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture, and trial tests using the four identified lactobacilli strains as sunki "seeds" have been progressing.