Six different types of pickles in Japan

In honor of Pickles Day, which is on the 21st of every month, today I will introduce some of the major types of Japanese Pickles. There are 12 major ones in total. In this post I will introduce 6 of those 12. If you are interested in how pickles came to be, and a spiritual event for pickles in Japan, you can read about both here. 

Japanese Pickles

1. Shiozuke (Shiodzuke) 塩漬け - Salt/ed Pickles

The simplest and oldest style, as per the origin story of pickles in Japan in the article I linked above. These pickles are crisp, clean and light salted. Common examples include cucumbers, daikon (mooli) and hakusai (Chinese cabbage). 

2. Nukazuke (Nukadzuke) ぬか漬け - Rice Bran Pickles

For Nuka(d)zuke vegetables are buried in a fermented rice-bran bed, known as a "nukadoko". They're tangy, complex and probiotic. Common examples include cucumber, daikon (mooli), eggplant and carrots.

3. Kasuzake (Kasudzuke) 粕漬け- Sake Lees Pickles

To make these pickles vegetables and even fish are pickled in the fragrant paste left after sake brewing known as "kasu", which an online translator tells me is "sake lees"! Common examples include daikon (mooli), fish fillets and ginger.

4. Misozuke (Misodzuke) 味噌漬け - Miso Pickles

These pickles are made from packing vegetables or tofu or eggs into miso paste. The result is savory, mellow and full of "umami" or savoriness. Common examples include cucumbers, daikon, garlic and tofu.

5. Shoyuzuke (Shoyudzuke) 醤油漬け - Soy Sauce Pickles

This kind involves pickling vegetables or seaweed into a soy sauce and mirin mix, usually with some sugar or ginger. This type is generally salty-sweet. Common examples include garlic, myoga (Japanese ginger) Kombu and eggplants.

6. Suzuke 酢漬け - Vinegar Pickles

Pickles made from vinegar are the closest to Western-style pickles, but gentler. Common examples include cucumbers, ginger and lotus root.

Have you tried making any of these types of pickles before? Do you have a favorite type?