It is with both joy and reverence that I read and review Machito Tateno’s wonderful book: Japanese Pickled Vegetables: 129 Homestyle Recipes for Traditional Brined, Vinegared and Fermented Pickles.
A last minute addition to my 2022 Christmas list, this book was a wild card that turned into a secret blessing. I don’t even remember how I came across it. It wasn’t on any of the top fermentation books or most recommended lists that I skimmed. Nor was it in stock at any of my book stores. I just remember seeing it randomly online with the words “Japanese” and “pickles” (my two favourite topics), and the glorious price tag of $23. What a steal!
As I unwrapped it Christmas morning and flicked through the pages for the first time, it became apparent how much of a bargain it really was. And fast became the best gift I received that year.
Originally printed in Japanese and winning both IACP Cookbook Award Finalist for Health & Nutrition and Gourmand Cookbook Award Winner for Japan in Fermentation in 2020, Japanese Pickles Vegetables was later translated into English.
Author Machito Tateno was a dietitian, chef, food stylist and author, but tragically in May 2022 she passed away. Only months before I found her beautiful creation. I was shocked and deeply saddened.
It’s incredibly important for you to know that if you read this book and use its recipes, you are sharing in Machito Tateno’s legacy.
Isn’t that what fermentation is all about? The sharing of peoples food and stories? I think so. I’m sure Machito would want her recipes to be loved and shared as much as possible.
A Quick Look Inside the Book
Flipping through this books pages, you may not identify any particular order to the vast number of recipes. However, there are indeed three parts to this book, each laying a foundation of Japanese fermentation, while exploring traditional food and flavours. You may find yourself favouring one sections over the other, or working backwards from the quick ferments to the more time-consuming ones. Either way, it doesn’t matter, I promise you’ll discover a whole new world of deliciousness.
Chapter 1 - The Basics: Fermentation is at the heart of Japanese kitchens. Having been a home cook herself, Machito knew that the best place to start was with the ingredients and methods of fermentation most common in Japanese households; ginger, onion, cabbage, plums and nukadoko (vegetables fermented in rice bran) to name a few. These recipes lay the foundation for Japanese fermentation and embody the flavour profile of Japanese cuisine. While they may be some of the most laborious recipes, they are classic—iconic even—and are the foundation to fermentation worth investing time and energy to practice.
Chapter 2 - Traditional Recipes: While I would consider all the recipes in this book fairly traditional, this section introduces ferments from each region of Japan. From northern Hokkaido and the small seaside town of Matsumae, to the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, to the mountainous Tochigi prefecture, each recipe highlights the flavours that make these regional favourite recipes distinct and delicious.
Chapter 3 - Instant Pickles: Ready to eat in a day or less, these quick pickles add extra flavour and nutrients to every meal, while repurposing odds and ends from the fridge. Leftover cucumbers? There’s six different recipes to try. And what’s more…these 62 recipes have been categorised into seasons (e.g., spring, summer, fall and winter) to give you an idea of when each dish would generally be eaten.
Highlights
Abundance of Recipes: This book is filled to the brim with delicious recipes…129 in fact. There are often several variations for each type of ferment, giving you maximum opportunity to experiment with new flavours. That being said, you may feel overwhelmed with so many amazing recipes to choose from. I recommend identifying one main ingredient you want to ferment with and try a few of the corresponding recipes. I chose ginger (obviously), and made the honey pickled ginger and sweet soy marinated ginger using ingredients I already had a home. They turned out delicious, and I now have a jar of each sitting in my refrigerator at all times.
Practical Layout: There’s something to be said for how cookbooks are formatted, and Japanese Pickled Vegetables does a particularly good job at writing clear instructions, while optimising page space and including both decorative and step-by-step pictures. Each recipe follows a concise layout, starting with a small blurb, list of ingredients, simple method and additional information (e.g., yield, prep time, equipment, ageing, storage). Some pages also include the extra bonus of variation and serving suggestions. Overall, it’s optimised for reader utility and access of information.
Picturesque Photography: The reason I love this book so much is because the photography is absolutely sublime. Machito was also a food stylist, and it shows through her elegant capture of these simple yet mouth watering photos. The Japanese believe that food aesthetic is just as important as taste. Special care being taken to pair the food with the right tableware to accentuate the appetising beauty. As we all know, “you eat with your eyes first”.
Constructive Criticism
I’m pleased to say it was difficult to write any, let alone three, constructive criticisms of this book. I couldn’t produce any of my own, so I resorted to digging through reviews on Amazon and Good Reads for something—anything!—to share. Even then, most fermenters won’t bat an eye at these findings.
Exotic Ingredients: Ingredients such as shiso leaves, lotus root, wasabi and kombu may be hard to source outside of Japan, and therefore limit fermenters from using these recipes. I know true wasabi is expensive and you can’t even buy kombu in Australia (it’s banned), but with a little research and determination many of these exotic ingredients can be found at local asian grocery stores or purchased online. One online review I read, suggested giving a list of alternative ingredients for hard to find items. And while it wouldn’t hurt to have this extra information, we can't forget that Japanese Pickled Vegetables was originally written in Japanese for Japanese cooks, not Westerners. You can obviously change the recipes however you see fit, but to make true Japanese pickles you need to use authentic Japanese ingredients.
Salty Recipes: Another online review stated one recipe was too salty and that the author should have added an additional step in the method to remove the excess salt. While this is a good suggestion and it’s likely hood that some recipes will be quite salty, it’s again important to remember who wrote this book and whom it’s original audience was intended. The Japan naturally consume a lot of salt in their soy sauce and other ferments. It’s a taste they are used to and probably have a higher tolerance for. Keep this in mind if you are westerner or someone who doesn’t consume salt regularly. You may want to reduce the amount of salt recommended in the recipes.
Minimal Commentary: This book is recipe heavy and doesn’t include much background information or history of its fermentations. There is a sprinkling of commentary throughout the book, but those who desire a more biographical approach will be disappointment. There are a few pages where Machito includes personal anecdotes (see fermenting with grapes), but it’s slim pickings.
I'd love to hear your constructive criticisms. It really helps give a wholistic view of the book.
Who Should Read this Book?
Obviously anyone slightly interested (or absolutely obsessed) with Japanese food and flavours.
Absolute beginner to intermediate fermenters.
Readers wanting a recipe packed text-book with mouth-watering photography.
Final Thoughts
I’m not ashamed to say I love this book! So much so, that I had to hold back tears when one of the pages ripped. It really is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Japanese fermenting and cuisine.
I know that no book is perfect, but in my eyes this one comes pretty close.