Skip to main content.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Character Size
Standard
Large
Menu
  1. Home
  2. Policies
  3. Food Export
  4. kyodo_ryori
  5. SEARCH&MENU
  6. Miyagi
  7. Sendai Hakusai no Tsukemono

Sendai Hakusai no Tsukemono ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Miyagi Prefecture

    Sendai Hakusai no Tsukemono

Sendai Hakusai no Tsukemono

Related images

These images of local cuisine may not be downloaded.

  • Sendai Hakusai no Tsukemono

    Image Source : Miyagi Prefecture

  • Main lore areas

    Miyagi Prefecture

  • Main ingredients used

    Hakusai (Napa cabbage)

  • History/origin/related events

    It was not until the Meiji period (1868-1912) that napa cabbage began to be cultivated in Japan. In Miyagi Prefecture, seeds were brought back from China during the triumphant return of the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars.
    In the Taisho era (1912-1926), "Matsushima Hakusai," one of the prototypes of Japanese napa cabbage, was born. Based on "Matsushima Hakusai," "Matsushima Jun-ni-go" and "Matsushima Shin-ni-go" were also bred, and Miyagi Prefecture became a major producer of Hakusai, boasting the largest shipment of Hakusai in Japan. Matsushima-type napa cabbage is white, soft, and sweet inside, and was branded under the name "Sendai Hakusai" and distributed throughout Japan. However, as the postwar transition to newer varieties progressed, the cultivation of Sendai Hakusai, a traditional vegetable with soft leaves that are easily damaged during transportation, declined.
    In 2011, the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake severely damaged farmland in coastal areas. While the impact of salt damage has become an issue for resuming farming, JA Zen-Noh Miyagi has taken the lead in reviving and promoting the production of Sendai Hakusai, which is relatively resistant to salt damage, and has started an integrated effort to consume the Sendai Hakusai.
    Sendai Hakusai is soft and contains high levels of amino acids, which are umami components. It is easy to be pickled, maintains a moderate crunchiness, and tastes better and lasts longer the longer it is pickled.
    In the past, this pickled Sendai Hakusai was often eaten as a side dish above all else.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    It is eaten as a side dish with rice or as a snack. They are eaten in homes, restaurants, and many other places.

  • How to eat

    Napa cabbage, which is in season in mid-November when the frost comes, is left to soften for a while after harvesting, then sprinkled with salt and pickled. It can be cut into bite-size pieces and eaten as is, or it can be arranged in such ways as stir-frying with sesame oil when it has become old and sour.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)
    A home-style dish handed down from generation to generation in each family. It is also sold in supermarkets.

RECIPE

Ingredients (1 pickle tub)

  • Napa cabbage 10kg
  • Salt(4-5% of Hakusai) 400-500g
  • Chili Pepper 5-6
  • Shredded Yuzu citrus peel and/or Kombu (kelp) As needed
  • Stone weight about 20kg

How to cook

  • 1. Leave the Napa cabbage for a while after harvesting, wash when wilted, cut a slit at the base of the plant, and split it in two by hand.

  • 2. Place the Napa cabbage in the tub with the cut end up, tightly lined up with no gaps. Sprinkle more salt at the base of the root, add the chili pepper, repeat the process, place a weight on it, and let it soak for 1 to 2 days.

  • 3. After 2 to 3 days, when the water rises, take out all the Napa cabbage and return them to pickle, replacing the top and bottom so that the Hakusai on top is on the bottom. Use half the weight of a weighted stone and soak in just enough pickling liquid to soak.

  • 4. The Yuzu peels and kombu (kelp) are cut into small pieces and added when returning the pickles. About two weeks later, they are ready to eat.

provider : “Gozzuou-san 2, Miyagi's local handmade work to convey“(Association for the Food of Miyagi)

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

Top of This Page

MAFF Social Media

  • MAFF Facebook
  • MAFF YouTube

MAFF

Address : 1-2-1,Kasumigaseki,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo 100-8950,Japan.

TEL : 03-3502-8111

Enterprise identification number : 5000012080001

Copyright : Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries