Umeboshi

Hi I'm Arata: )

As Hanako posted the blog about "natto" as Japanese unique food last time, I'm also going to introduce "umeboshi," which I often hear from non-native Japanese prefer and not prefer. Umeboshi is very popular Japanese food. It's used in various dishes as side dishes with breakfast, rice ball for lunch and seasoned for dinner. Ume is a species for fruit-bearing tree in the genus pruns, which is often called a plum, but it's actually more closely related to the apricot.

By harvesting umefruit when they ripen around Jun they are packed in barrels with salt. They taste salty, and are extremely sour due to high citric acid content. The citric acid acts as an antibacteria, helps to increse saliva production. Moreover, the citric acid is said to combat fatigue and protect against aging. According to rumore, samurai tried to prevent battle fatigue by eating umeboshi. If you are interested in Japanese culture, I'd really like you to eat it!!