【Reading】たくあん

【English Name】Takuan (Pickled Daikon)

Takuan is a pickle of ancient Japanese origin made by pickling dried daikon radish in salt and rice bran and fermenting it with lactic acid. At sushi shops it is also affectionately called "oshinko" and widely appears on the table as a filling for rolled sushi and as a palate cleanser.

There are several theories about the origin of its name, and no definitive view has been established. Theories that stand side by side include that it was devised by the eminent Edo-period Zen (Rinzai sect) priest Takuan Soho (1573-1645), that the Zen priest Takuan transmitted Kansai-style daikon pickles to Edo, and that the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu named it. The Zen sect had a culture of salt-pickled daikon of Chinese origin, and a tradition is also handed down that priest Takuan improved the flavor by adding rice bran and the flesh of sweet persimmon.

In traditional preparation, the daikon is exposed to the sun for about 14-20 days to draw out moisture, after which it is packed gaplessly into a barrel, layering rice bran and salt alternately with the daikon, then weighted with a stone and fermented for 6-12 months. It features a distinctive flavor produced by lactic acid fermentation and high preservability, and is also rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C.

A representative use in sushi is the shinko-maki, a thin roll of finely chopped takuan wrapped in nori, said to have originated in Osaka and spread to Tokyo in the Meiji era. Also, the toro-taku-maki, combining tuna toro (fatty tuna) and chopped takuan, is said to have appeared in the late 1960s, and the contrast produced by toro's rich fat and takuan's crispy texture has captivated many customers.