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Papaya Pickles ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Kagoshima Prefecture

    Papaya Pickles

Papaya Pickles

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  • Papaya Pickles
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  • Papaya Pickles
  • Papaya Pickles
  • Papaya Pickles

    Image Source: Kagoshima Prefecture

  • Main lore areas

    Amami Region

  • Main ingredients used

    papaya

  • History/origin/related events

    “Papaya Pickles” are made by pickling young papaya fruit in salt, followed by additional pickling in miso paste or soy sauce, and are popular as a type of pickled vegetable that can be made easily at home. These pickles are eaten in Okinawa Prefecture as well as the Amami Region. In additional to being a condiment which always accompanies the dish “chicken rice” known nationwide, the dish is highly versatile and can be served as an accompaniment for tea.
    Papayas are relatively new to the Amami region, and it is said that they were introduced from Okinawa after the Second World War when the Amami archipelago was under the administration of the United States.
    The climate of the Amami region, which is warm throughout the year, is well-suited for papaya cultivation, and because of the fruit’s strong ability to propagate and ease of cultivation, it spread rapidly and played a role in supporting the region during the period of post-war food shortages.

    It was against this background that the people of the Amami Region devised many delicious ways to eat papayas, and it is thought that this how “Papaya Pickles” appeared. In both the Amami Region and in Okinawa Prefecture, ripe papayas with yellow skin are often eaten as a fruit, but more often than not, the still-green colored unripe fruit is used as a vegetable.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    Papayas can be found in the market from summer to autumn, so papaya dishes are often made during this time, however, “Papaya Pickles” being a preserved food, can be enjoyed for a little while longer.

  • How to eat

    Cut an unripe green papaya in half lengthwise, remove the skin and seeds and cover with salt, and start the initial pickling for 2 to 3 days under a heavy stone weight. Remove from the pickling broth and remove the moisture, alternate the papaya with a combination of miso paste and sugar and weigh down again with a heavy stone again. The pickles can be eaten after letting rest for about 10 days. In addition to pickling in miso paste, pickles made in soy sauce and sake lees is also well loved.
    The pickles can of course be enjoyed sliced thinly as an accompaniment for rice but can also be served with rice in hot tea broth, or as a filling for rice balls. It also goes well eaten with sake.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)
    Even today, there are many households that make their own homemade “Papaya Pickles”. The saltiness and flavor of the pickles vary by the household. The pickles are also sold at supermarkets, grocery stores and souvenir shops, so they can be purchases easily. They also accompany “chicken rice” in school lunches and appear in other dishes that have been adapted to include “papaya pickles”.

RECIPE

Ingredients (For 1 container of pickles))

  • （For Initial Pickling）Green Papayas 3 kg
  • （For Initial Pickling）Salt 150 g
  • (For Pickling in Miso Paste Pickling Mixture）Papayas from Initial Pickling 3 kg
  • Miso Paste 1 kg
  • Sugar 50 g

How to cook

  • 1. [Initial Pickling 1] Cut the papayas in half lengthwise and remove the skin and seeds.

  • 2. [Initial Pickling 2] Place 1 into a pickling container, press down with a heavy stone weight while, sprinkling with salt.

  • 3. [Initial Pickling 3] After 2 to 3 days, remove the papayas from [Initial Pickling 2] and dry in the sun for one day to remove moisture.

  • 4. [Pickling in Miso Paste 1] Combine the miso paste with the sugar well.

  • 5. [Pickling in Miso Paste 2] Alternate the papayas with the pickling paste from [Pickling in Miso Paste 1] in the pickling container.

  • 6. [Pickling in Miso Paste 3] The pickles can be eaten in about 10 days.

provider : “Amami Food and Culture” by Hiromi Hisadome and “Traditional Amami Cuisine” by Kazuko Izumi.

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

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