View source for Takuan

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{{short description|Pickled preparation of daikon radish}}
{{about||the Japanese Zen Buddhist|Takuan Sōhō|a volcanic complex in [[Papua New Guinea]]|Takuan Group}}
{{redirect|Pickled daikon|another form of pickled daikon|Bettarazuke|a pickled mixture that includes daikon|Fukujinzuke|all other Japanese pickles|Tsukemono}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2010}}
[[File:takuan.jpg|270px|right|thumb|Traditional ''takuan'' showing sliced preparation]]
'''''Takuan''''' ({{Langx|ja|沢庵}}; also spelled '''''takuwan'''''), or '''''takuan-zuke''''' ({{Lang|ja|沢庵漬け}}; 'pickled takuan'), known as '''''danmuji''''' ({{Lang|ko|단무지}}) in the context of [[Korean cuisine]],<ref name="Sula">{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/black-noodles-and-other-delights/Content?oid=938999|title=Omnivorous: Black Noodles and Other Delights|last=Sula|first=Mike|date=22 January 2009|website=[[Chicago Reader]]|access-date=5 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="Surh">{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gpcXqE-j6gEC&pg=PA336|title=Handbook of Fermented Functional Foods|last1=Surh|first1=Jeonghee|last2=Kim|first2=Young-Kyung Lee|last3=Kwon|first3=Hoonjeong|publisher=[[CRC Press]]|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4200-5326-5|editor-last=Farnworth|editor-first=Edward R.|edition=Second|location=Boca Raton|pages=336|chapter=Korean Fermented Foods: Kimchi and Doenjang}}</ref> is a [[pickled]] preparation of [[daikon|daikon radish]]. As a popular part of [[traditional food|traditional]] [[Japanese cuisine]], ''takuan'' is often served uncooked alongside other types of ''[[tsukemono]]'' ('pickled things'). It is also enjoyed at the end of meals to aid [[digestion]].
==History==
In Japan, famous Buddhist monk [[Takuan Sōhō]] (1573–1645) is popularly credited with creating this yellow pickle, which now bears his name.<ref>Nagamura, Kit. [http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fv20071005kn.html "All at sea in Shinagawa"]. ''The Japan Times Online''. October 5, 2007. Accessed July 11, 2011.</ref>
==Usage==
[[File:朝食 2017 (36074680054).jpg|thumb|A Japanese meal showing strip-cut ''takuan'' on rice]]
Usually, ''takuan'' is washed with water to remove excess [[Brining|brine]] and then sliced thinly before serving. It is eaten as a [[side dish]] during meals, and eaten as a [[snack]] at [[teatime]]. Strip-cut ''takuan'' is often used for Japanese [[bento]]. Traditional ''takuan''—using daikon radish that has been [[sun-dried]] and then pickled in a [[rice bran]] bed—is sometimes [[stir-fried]] or [[braised]] when getting older and sour. Some [[sushi]] rolls use strip-cut ''takuan'' for ingredients, e.g. ''shinkomaki'' (''takuan'' only) and ''torotaku-maki'' (''maguro'' [fatty tuna] and ''takuan'').
===In Korea===
''Takuan'' is called ''danmuji'' ({{Lang|ko|단무지}}) in Korea. ''Danmuji'' is a common ''[[banchan]]'' (side dish) served with ''[[bunsik]]'' (light meal or snack), as well as with [[Korean Chinese cuisine|Korean Chinese dishes]].
==Production==
[[Image:Japanese radishs.JPG|thumb|Drying radish on a farm in Japan]]
In the traditional process of making ''takuan'', the first step is to hang a daikon radish in the sun for a few weeks by the leaves until it becomes [[dehydrated]] and flexible.  Next, the daikon is placed in a [[pickling crock]] and covered with a mixture of [[Edible salt|salt]], rice [[bran]], optionally [[sugar]], daikon [[greens (vegetable)|greens]], [[kombu]], and perhaps [[chilli pepper]] and/or dried [[persimmon]] peels.  A weight is then placed on top of the crock, and the daikon is allowed to pickle for several months.  The finished ''takuan'' is usually yellow in color and quite pungent.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}
Most mass-produced ''takuan'' uses salt or [[syrup]] to reduce the dehydration time, and [[artificial color]] to enhance the appearance.
''Iburi-gakko'' (lit. 'smoked ''takuan''<nowiki/>') is eaten in [[Akita Prefecture]] in the North. It is [[Smoking (cooking)|smoked]] rather than sun-dried before pickling.
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Takuan by -puamelia-.jpg|Sliced ''takuan''
</gallery>
==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* {{annotated link|Nukazuke}}
* {{annotated link|Pickled radish}}
* {{annotated link|List of foods named after people}}
* {{annotated link|List of pickled foods}}
==References==
{{Commons category|Takuan}}
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.c-z.jp/chie_takuwan.html Tokyo Central Pickle Co., Ltd.] {{in lang|ja}} History of Takuan and Its Varieties.
{{Japanese food and drink}}
[[Category:Japanese pickles]]
[[Category:Japanese cuisine terms]]
[[Category:Korean Chinese cuisine]]
[[Category:Buddhist cuisine]]