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{{Short description|Sour pickled Japanese fruit}}
{{Redirect|Umeboshi paste|Chinese plum sauce|Plum sauce}}
{{Italic title}}

{{Infobox food
| name = Umeboshi
| image = Umeboshi2.JPG
| image_size = 300
| caption = ''Umeboshi'', dry pickled [[ume]]
| course = [[pickling|Pickles]]
| main_ingredient = [[Ume]], [[salt]]
}}

{{Infobox food
| name = Umezuke
| image = Umeboshi.jpg
| image_size = 300
| caption = ''Umezuke'', wet pickled [[ume]]
| course = [[pickling|Pickles]]
| main_ingredient = [[Ume]], [[salt]]
}}

'''''Umeboshi''''' ([[Japanese language|Japanese]]: [[wiktionary:梅|梅]]干し, pronounced {{IPAc-ja|u|me|bo|si}}, {{literal|dried ''[[ume]]''}}) are [[pickled]] ([[brined]]) ''[[ume]]'' fruits common in [[Japanese cuisine|Japan]]. The word ''umeboshi'' is often translated into English as 'salted Japanese plums', 'Japanese plums' or 'preserved plums'. ''Ume'' (''[[Prunus mume]]'') is a species of [[fruit-bearing tree]] in the genus ''[[Prunus]]'', which is often called a "[[plum]]", but is actually more closely related to the [[apricot]].<ref name="Tsuji 2007 p. 317"/> Pickled ''ume'' which are not dried are called '''''umezuke''''' (梅漬け).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/market/k_ryouri/areastory/1316/index.html |title=Kanagawa |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Our Regional Cuisines |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618123514/https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/market/k_ryouri/areastory/1316/index.html |archive-date=2024-06-18 |url-status=bot: unknown |publisher=[[Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)]] |at=Ken-sei region |language=en }}</ref>

Umeboshi are a popular kind of Japanese ''[[tsukemono]]'' ('pickled thing'; preserved or [[pickling|fermented]]) and are extremely sour and salty. Sweet umeboshi made with [[honey]] also exist. They are usually served as a [[side dish]] for [[rice]] or eaten on [[onigiri|rice balls]] (often without removing the pit) for breakfast and lunch. They are occasionally served boiled or seasoned for dinner.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120628050859/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fg20120525f1.html Umeboshi: perfect in any culinary pickle | The Japan Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Physical characteristics==
Umeboshi are usually round and vary from smooth to very wrinkled. Usually they taste salty, and are extremely [[sour]] due to high [[citric acid]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nakatafoods.co.jp/global/umeboshi/umeboshi.html |title=Nakatafoods: Umeboshi |access-date=2014-06-02 |archive-date=2015-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709170332/http://www.nakatafoods.co.jp/global/umeboshi/umeboshi.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> content, but sweeter versions exist as well.<ref name="japantimes18">Itoh, Makiko, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120628050859/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fg20120525f1.html Umeboshi: perfect in any culinary pickle]", ''[[Japan Times]]'', 25 May 2012, p. 18</ref>

==Production==
[[Image:Umebosi Doyobosi.jpg|thumb|left|''Umeboshi'' being dried in the sun]]
The central area of [[Wakayama prefecture]] is known throughout Japan for the quantity and quality of its ume and umeboshi. The town of [[Minabe, Wakayama]], in particular, grows more ume and produces more umeboshi than any other town in Japan.<ref name="japantimes18"/>
Umeboshi are traditionally made by harvesting [[ume]] fruit when they ripen around June and packing them in barrels with 20% [[Edible salt|salt]] per weight of fruit. The salt extracts juice, which the ume then soak in for about two weeks. This salty, sour liquid is marketed as ''[[umezu]]'' ([[wikt:梅|梅]][[wikt:酢|酢]]; often calqued as 'ume vinegar', although it is not a true [[vinegar]].)<ref name="Brachfeld">{{cite book|author=Mary Choate and Aaron Brachfeld|title=At Home in Nature, a user's guide|date=31 August 2015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2I-5QnTAeoC&pg=PA303|access-date=21 January 2013|publisher=Coastalfields Press|page=303|id=GGKEY:K5213DDZJD2}}</ref>

Many varieties of umeboshi sold on the market are desalinated to a certain extent and re-soaked in a flavoring liquid. They are sometimes dyed red using [[Perilla frutescens var. crispa|purple perilla]] herbs (called ''akajiso'') or flavoured with ''[[katsuobushi]]'', ''[[kombu]]'' or even sweetened with [[honey]]. Because these flavored varieties end up at 3% to 15% salt content, they usually contain a natural or artificial preservative to extend shelf life. Natural preservatives include vinegar, alcohol and vitamin B1.

==Consumption==
[[File:Umeboshi 20101209 c.jpg|thumb|Plate of umeboshi]]
Umeboshi are usually eaten in small quantities with [[rice]], for added flavor. It is also a common ingredient in ''[[onigiri]]'', rice balls wrapped with ''[[nori]]'' and they may also be used in ''[[sushi|makizushi]]''. ''Makizushi'' made with umeboshi may be made with either pitted umeboshi or umeboshi paste (which is cheaper), often in conjunction with slivered fresh green [[Perilla frutescens var. crispa|perilla]] (''shiso'') leaves. The standard Japanese [[folk remedy]] for [[colds]] and [[flus]] is ''[[okayu]]'' (rice [[congee]]) with umeboshi. Another usage of umeboshi is in ume [[chazuke]], a dish of rice with poured-in green tea topped with umeboshi.
[[File:0 series commemorative lunch box (2).jpg|thumb|''[[Hinomaru]] [[bentō]]'', with a single umeboshi over white rice, which represents the flag of Japan]]
Umeboshi were esteemed by the samurai to combat battle fatigue, a function of their salt and citric acid content, among other factors. Salt, citric acid, and polyphenols also contribute to their antimicrobial activity, so they are a natural preservative for foods and help prevent food poisoning and other bacterial stomach problems.

Umeboshi is used as a cooking accent to enhance flavor and presentation. They may also be served as a complement of a drink with ''[[shōchū]]'' and hot water.

Umeboshi are often eaten as snacks; in the United States and Australia, many Japanese grocery stores stock them. Eating umeboshi in Japan is the equivalent of the English expression "an apple a day".<ref>"[http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-strangest-hangover-cures Umeboshi: World's Strangest Hangover Cures]." ''Travel and Leisure''. Retrieved on March 8, 2009.</ref> Children's candy shops sometimes carry ''[[karikari ume]]'', or prepackaged, crunchy pickled ume, and dried umeboshi.

[[Bento]] boxes that contain a single umiboshi over rice are called ''[[Hinomaru]] bentō'', because the red ume on white rice resembles the Japanese flag. Due to the low amount of ingredients, ''Hinomaru bentō'' was traditionally regarded as a low-cost meal.

<gallery widths="160px" heights="160px" mode="packed">
File:Cold Udon with Plum and Seaweed at Muguinbō, Shinagawa Kitchen (20230801172642).jpg|With [[udon]]
File:Yaki-onigiri and umeboshi by Ms President.jpg|With grilled [[onigiri]]
File:Ume shiso soba, negitoro rice (30337331526).jpg|With [[soba]] and [[negitoro]]
File:しそかつお梅 (281888083).jpg|Pickled with red [[shiso]]
</gallery>

==Health==
[[File:Ume (34924236362).jpg|thumb|Drying umeboshi]]
This Japanese-style traditional condiment is believed to be a digestive aid, for prevention of nausea and systemic toxicity, including hangovers. Green ume extract is used as a [[herbal tonic|tonic]] in Japan. The citric acid is believed to act as an antibacterial, help to increase saliva production and assist in the digestion of rice. Additionally, umeboshi is claimed to combat fatigue (historically given as part of a samurai's field ration) and protect against aging.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mitoku.com/products/umeboshi/healthbenefits.html |title=HEALTH BENEFITS OF UMEBOSHI : MAKING TRADITIONAL UMEBOSHI : UMEBOSHI - Venerable Pickled Plums : MITOKU COMPANY, LTD. - Organic Japanese Foods Exporter |publisher=Mitoku.com |access-date=2012-11-19}}</ref>

According to a 2018 study, umeboshi may have anti-[[allergic]] effects, and "suggested that ''ume'' has the potential to inhibit [[mast cell]] [[degranulation]] and may be associated with reduced risk of allergic symptoms in women."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2018-08-03 |title=Biological and epidemiological evidence of anti-allergic effects of traditional Japanese food ume (Prunus mume) |pmc=6076304 |last1=Kono |first1=R. |last2=Nakamura |first2=M. |last3=Nomura |first3=S. |last4=Kitano |first4=N. |last5=Kagiya |first5=T. |last6=Okuno |first6=Y. |last7=Inada |first7=K. I. |last8=Tokuda |first8=A. |last9=Utsunomiya |first9=H. |last10=Ueno |first10=M. |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=8 |issue=1 |page=11638 |doi=10.1038/s41598-018-30086-5 |pmid=30076416 |bibcode=2018NatSR...811638K }}</ref>

===Nutrition===
Pitted traditional umeboshi per 100&nbsp;g contains:<ref name="FoodComposition2015">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mext.go.jp/en/policy/science_technology/policy/title01/detail01/sdetail01/sdetail01/1385122.htm|title=Standards Tables of Food Composition in Japan -2015- (Seventh Revised Edition) Documentation and Table|access-date=2020-09-17|publisher=[[Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology]] (MEXT), Japan|year=2015|language=en}} (English version of the [[:ja:日本食品標準成分表]])
* Direct link to the XLSX file: {{Cite web|url=https://www.mext.go.jp/component/english/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2017/12/25/1374049_1r12_1.xlsx|title=2. Table (Excel:890KB)|date=2017-12-25|access-date=2021-11-24|website=Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211013005751/http://www.mext.go.jp/component/english/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2017/12/25/1374049_1r12_1.xlsx|archive-date=2021-10-13|url-status=live|language=en|format=xlsx}}
* Item No.=07022 "Umeboshi" (pickled and dried mume), salted pickles (traditional salty recipe)
* Item No.=07023 "Umeboshi" (pickled and dried mume), seasoned pickles (reduced-salt version)
* Column W: Sodium (mg/100g); Column BE: Salt equivalent (g/100g).  "Salt equivalent" is not "Sodium". In Japanese food labels, the amount of sodium is often not printed and salt equivalent value is used instead, which is roughly 2.5 times larger than the amount of sodium.
</ref>

*Energy 138&nbsp;kJ
*Protein 0.9&nbsp;g
*Fat 0.2&nbsp;g
*Carbohydrate 10.5&nbsp;g
*Sodium 8700&nbsp;mg<ref name="FoodComposition2015" />
*Potassium 440&nbsp;mg
*Manganese 0.23&nbsp;mg
*VitaminA 7&nbsp;μg
*VitaminB<sub>1</sub> 0.02&nbsp;mg
*VitaminB<sub>2</sub> 0.01&nbsp;mg
*Cholesterol 0&nbsp;mg
*Dietary fiber 3.6&nbsp;g
*Water 65.1&nbsp;g

Traditional (non-reduced sodium versions) umeboshi are roughly one quarter salt.

==Similar foods==
[[File:うめぼし公園.jpg|thumb|Sculpture of an umeboshi at [[Yunogo Onsen|Yunogō Hot Springs]]]]
The umeboshi style of pickling is common in Japan and is similar in style to other Asian preserved pickling techniques found in China, Vietnam, and Korea.<ref>The 150 healthiest foods on earth. By Johnny Bowden</ref>

In Vietnam, a very similar variety of pickled ume is called ''xí muội'' or ''{{ill|ô mai|vi}}''.

In the [[Philippines]], this is called [[kiamoy]] or [[tsampoy]], and is usually drier. Kiamoy and tsampoy were two types of Filipino-Chinese plum pickle that was transported via the [[Manila galleon]] to [[Mexico]], where it is known as ''[[Chamoy (Sauce)|chamoy]]'' and is usually made with [[apricot]], [[ume]] or [[tamarind]] and a mix of salt and dry chili.

In [[South Asian]] countries, [[Phyllanthus emblica|Indian gooseberries]] called ''amla'' in [[Hindi]] or ''amala'' in [[Nepali language|Nepali]] is prepared in similar way, sometimes with sugar syrup.

In South Africa, a similar style of preserved dried fruit is called ''mebos'' in [[Afrikaans]], the name of which seems to derive from the Japanese via Dutch trade. Usually, apricot is used to produce a salty, acidic variety, although other, sweetened varieties made from other fruits are also colloquially called ''mebos''.

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
{{div col}}
* {{annotated link|Li hing mui}}
* {{annotated link|List of pickled foods}}
* {{annotated link|List of plum dishes}}
* {{annotated link|List of sauces}}
* {{annotated link|Pickled fruit}}
* {{annotated link|Suanmeitang}}
* [[Smoked plum]]
* [[Wikibooks:Cookbook:Umeboshi]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="Tsuji 2007 p. 317">{{cite book | last=Tsuji | first=S. | title=Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art | publisher=Kodansha International Limited | series=Cookery, Food and Drink Series | year=2007 | isbn=978-4-7700-3049-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fby2Er0seMMC&pg=PA317 | page=317}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{commons|Umeboshi}}
*[http://www.pickled-ume.com/english/ Homemade pickled ume and various recipes]

{{Japanese food and drink}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Japanese cuisine]]
[[Category:Japanese pickles]]
[[Category:Plum dishes]]