Tsukudani―salt-sweet-savoury preservation

Tsukudani is a traditional Japanese way of preparing and preserving a great variety of different food ingredients by simmering them in soy sauce and mirin (sweet rice wine) or sugar. Small fish, mussels, seaweeds, mushrooms, insects, wild plants, and in some cases, meat are prepared as tsukudani. The resulting products are used as snacks, condiments, or small side dishes, thereby providing a meal with sweetness, umami (savoury), and saltiness as well as aromas from caramelisation and Maillard-reaction products. The texture is influenced by the sticky caramel and the tenderness of the simmered base ingredients, and occasionally a crunchy mouthfeel. The present feature article describes the cultural history of tsukudani , modes of processing, the variety of base ingredients used, the resulting tastes, aromas, and textures, as well as examples of traditional uses and applications in a contemporary plant-forward cuisine not least in relation to a no-waste agenda. Examples of pairing tsukudani with various plant-based ingredients are described.