''Takuan'' (; also spelled ''takuwan''), or ''takuan-zuke'' (; 'pickled takuan'), known as ''danmuji'' () in the context of

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural envi ...

, is a

pickled Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called ...

preparation of

daikon radish Daikon or mooli, '' Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon is harvested and consum ...

. As a popular part of

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan ( Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and oth ...

, ''takuan'' is often served uncooked alongside other types of '' tsukemono'' ('pickled things'). It is also enjoyed at the end of meals to aid

digestion Digestion is the breakdown of large insoluble food molecules into small water-soluble food molecules so that they can be absorbed into the watery blood plasma. In certain organisms, these smaller substances are absorbed through the small intest ...

History

In Japan, famous Buddhist monk

Takuan Sōhō was a Japanese Buddhist prelate during the Sengoku and early Edo Periods of Japanese history. He was a major figure in the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. Noted for his calligraphy, poetry, tea ceremony, he is also popularly credited with the inv ...

(1573–1645) is popularly credited with creating this yellow pickle, which now bears his name.Nagamura, Kit
"All at sea in Shinagawa"
''The Japan Times Online''. October 5, 2007. Accessed July 11, 2011.

Usage

Usually, ''takuan'' is washed with water to remove excess

brine Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of solutions used for ...

and then sliced thinly before serving. It is eaten as a side dish during meals, and eaten as a

snack A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home. Traditionally, snacks are ...

teatime Tea (in reference to food, rather than the drink) has long been used as an umbrella term for several different meals. English writer Isabella Beeton, whose books on home economics were widely read in the 19th century, describes meals of ...

. Strip-cut ''takuan'' is often used for Japanese

bento A is the Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch. Outside Japan, it is common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese, Korean, Singaporean cuisines and more, ...

. Traditional ''takuan''—using daikon radish that has been

sun-dried Food drying is a method of food preservation in which food is dried (dehydrated or desiccated). Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold through the removal of water. Dehydration has been used widely for this purpose since ...

and then pickled in a rice bran bed—is sometimes stir-fried or

braised Braising (from the French word ''braiser'') is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first browned at a high temperature, then simmered in a covered pot in cooking liquid (such as wine, broth, coc ...

when getting older and sour. Some

sushi is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also ...

rolls use strip-cut ''takuan'' for ingredients, e.g. ''shinkomaki'' (''takuan'' only) and ''torotaku-maki'' (''maguro'' atty tunaand ''takuan'').

In Korea

''Takuan'' is called ''danmuji'' () in Korea. ''Danmuji'' is a common ''

banchan ''Banchan'' (, from Korean: ) or bansang are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. As the Korean language does not distinguish between singular and plural grammatically, the word is used for both one such dish o ...

'' (side dish) served with '' bunsik'' (light meal or snack), as well as with Korean Chinese dishes.

Production

In the traditional process of making ''takuan'', the first step is to hang a daikon radish in the sun for a few weeks by the leaves until it becomes

dehydrated In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

and flexible. Next, the daikon is placed in a

pickling crock A fermentation crock, also known as a gärtopf crock or Harsch crock, is a crock for fermentation. It has a gutter in the rim which is then filled with water so that when the top is put on an airlock is created, which prevents the food within f ...

and covered with a mixture of

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

, rice bran, optionally

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

, daikon greens,

kombu ''Konbu'' (from ja, 昆布, konbu or kombu) is edible kelp mostly from the family Laminariaceae and is widely eaten in East Asia. It may also be referred to as ''dasima'' ( ko, 다시마) or ''haidai'' (). Kelp features in the diets of many ...

, and perhaps chilli pepper and/or dried persimmon peels. A weight is then placed on top of the crock, and the daikon is allowed to pickle for several months. The finished ''takuan'' is usually yellow in color and quite pungent. Most mass-produced ''takuan'' uses salt or

syrup In cooking, a syrup (less commonly sirup; from ar, شراب; , beverage, wine and la, sirupus) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars ...

to reduce the dehydration time, and artificial color to enhance the appearance. ''Iburi-gakko'' (lit. 'smoked ''takuan''') is eaten in

Akita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is approximately 966,000 (as of 1 October 2019) and its geographic area is 11,6 ...

in the North. It is

smoked Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. Meat, fish, and '' lapsang souchong'' tea are often smoked. In Europe, alder is the tra ...

rather than sun-dried before pickling.

Gallery

File:Takuan by -puamelia-.jpg, Sliced ''takuan'' File:Onion danmuji chunjang.jpg, Raw

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the on ...

, ''danmuji'', and '' chunjang'' (sweet bean sauce) are typically served in Korean Chinese restaurants

References

External links

History of Takuan and Its Varieties. {{Japanese food and drink Japanese pickles Japanese cuisine terms Korean Chinese cuisine Buddhist cuisine